My First Pet
by Hermina05
Summary: It is common for a wealthy family to have 'pets', just to follow the old tradition. One young master has taken one thanks to his ruthless father, but what's uncommon is when he falls in love with his own pet. A Kuon/Nanao fic. Rating and genre might change along the way. The story is up on my LiveJournal account under the same username too.
1. Prologue

Dear Reader,

First I'd like you to read this little letter. This story is a twisted AU novel about Kuon and Nanao. If I can find a few people who want me to continue this story, than I will. And the rating will stay M for I'd like to have dark or sexual scenes in it. The story and the characters aren't mine, if they were, the Mujihi series would come out more often. And last but not least... English is not my native language, so sorry for the mistakes.

Enjoy,  
Hermina

Big news: I have a Beta Reader now, Seerstella, who volunteered to help me correct my mistakes. Thanks again.

WARNINGS: torture, use of aphrodisiac, non-con, dark themes, sex toys, languages, malexmale sex

* * *

**MY FIRST PET**

**Prologue**

For my eighteenth birthday my father had promised me a pet. My first pet. Actually, I didn't feel excited about it, because keeping pets was a sick hobby. But I couldn't disobey him, so I went along.

The shop we entered was very clean and everything looked expensive. It didn't really matter, since our family had a lot of money. That was why my father chose this place... to get his son the best.

While I looked through the cages the only thing I felt was disgust. How could they be kept in these? How can this be legal?! When I was about to tell my father that none of them caught my attention, I found something.

A _beautiful_ one.

Even though I knew that father wouldn't be pleased with my choice I had to get this one.

"I found a good one." I said and he came to take a look. But when he saw the pet I was kneeling next to, he frowned.

"That's a male."

"I know. And he's beautiful. I want him."

That was when the shop assistant came to us and said:

"I don't recommend this one. He's violent and his masters always brought him back in less than a month. And he's been here for a while. We had to sedate him, because he tried to get away all the time."

"I still want him." I said. It was a crime to keep something this beautiful sedated.

"But that's a male." My father repeated, as if I couldn't see that.

"I know. You said I have to get one and I'm choosing him."

"All right. But you take full responsibility. If it does something stupid, you'll be punished as well."

"That's okay with me." I said. My father couldn't see it, but I was happy he obliged.

The shop assistant brought out a pair of cuffs and tied him up tightly, so he couldn't move any of his limbs. When we got to the car after paying, the man carrying him asked me to open the trunk so he can put my new pet in there.

That angered me, so I and demanded him to be in my arms during the journey home. He was very cold, I could feel him shivering. Not surprising, since he had been lying on the icy ground with only a thin cloth covering him. I held him close and admired his beauty.

That was how I got my very first slave.


	2. Chapter 1

This chapter has been corrected by my beta reader, Seerstella.

NOTE: In this story, Nanao has blue eyes to make it a bit more realistic.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

When we arrived home I went straight to the basement, where the slaves were kept. Since he was my personal slave, he got a room for himself. I went there and left the door open.

There weren't too many things in that room. Only a bed and a dresser with a few clothes. And it only had two doors: one to the bathroom, where only a shower and a toilet stood, the other led to freedom. That one would remain locked all the time.

I laid him on the bed and took off the cuffs. That was when I realized his wrists and ankles had dried blood on them. Upon closer inspection I noticed that the cuffs had cut into his flesh. He must have tried to free himself quite a lot before they sedated him.

He should have known better. Once you sell yourself you can't get away, unless your master legally frees you. All slaves get a tattoo with a number. That's how they are registered in the system. But even if they are freed... the tattoo will never fade. It stays as a remainder. People will know that at some point in their life, they've sold themselves. That's why they will only look at freed-slaves with disgust and not sympathy.

But he was really beautiful, though very thin. He had glossy black hair, red lips and nearly translucent alabaster skin. Just by merely looking gives one the urge to do immoral things. Even though he was dirty, he looked very seductive.

I took off his clothes and cleaned him. Several puncture marks were on his arms. Most probably, those were where he was injected with sedatives. He had quite a few marks on him. His former masters probably did awful things to break him in.

I dressed him in his new clothes and started bandaging his hands. His legs were the worst. Both his ankles were black and blue, not to mention bloody. Those cuffs cut into him deeply. While I was putting back the bandages into the first-aid kit I noticed him moving.

When I looked at him my eyes met two confused, sapphire eyes. He looked startled and a bit disorientated, probably the after effect of the sedatives. But before I could say anything he sat up, pushed me away, and the world went black.

I woke up to someone shaking me lightly. When I opened my eyes I saw my pet looking at me with worry in his eyes. Then I turned to the left and saw the door. It was open. When he realized what I was looking at he tried to run for it. But I was faster. I caught his hand and pulled him to me. He was shaking and breathing heavily as I hugged him.

I could tell he was panicking. He just lost the chance to get away.

"Please stay." I almost pleaded and felt him freeze. "I'm sorry I can't let you go. I won't hurt you I promise." He didn't say anything. "You came back for me, right? You were worried about me. Thank you, you're kind." I felt him relax a little.

"Are you okay?" He had a beautiful voice, very light and slightly seductive.

"I'm fine." I replied. He was really nice.

"But your forehead is bleeding." That was when I touched my forehead and it was slightly bleeding.

"It's okay. I'll take care of it."

We stood up. I didn't let go of his hand while going over to the bed. He looked at the open door then to the floor and didn't meet my eyes anymore.

"Sorry, but I have to put this on you." I said when he sat on the bed. He looked at the cuff with a long chain attached to it then held out his hand without a word and looked back down.

"Sorry." That was all I could say, even though I felt terrible. I could tell he was disappointed. He just lost the chance to get away, after all. While I put the chain on his right hand I tried to talk to him. "I'm going to treat you well, I promise. I'm not going to torture or sedate you and..."

"You're just going to rape me anytime you want."

That shocked me. "I would never." I automatically rebutted.

"Don't lie! That's what slaves are for."

"I don't believe in this. I could never force anyone to..."

"Then why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did you buy me?"

"My father said I have to get a pet as a birthday gift."

"Pet..."

"Not like that. I don't think of you as an animal. It's just..."

"But I'm a man. You should have chosen a girl."

"I don't want a girl."

"You're gay?!"

"Yes, and I guess you are too."

"...Probably."

"What do you mean probably?"

He didn't say anything just staring at the ground. I didn't know what to say or do so I decided to get him something to eat. When I came back he was still in the same position.

"I brought you something to eat." He looked up and took the plate from my hands. He began to devour the food quickly without using any of the silverware. I could tell he didn't get a lot of food when he was still in the shop. When he finished he still looked hungry so I went to get some more. He ate everything I gave him.

"Are you still hungry?"

"No."

"Are you sleepy?"

"No."

"Then why not look around a little? With this chain you can reach every part of the room."

"There isn't much to see. Besides... it's your turn."

"My turn?"

"Usually when someone buys me, they give me food then try to break me in."

"Break you in?"

"You're really that inexperienced? I mean sex."

His voice was really flat when he said that, as if we were just talking about the weather. I wanted to gape at him, to shake sense into him, but instead I gave him the same answer as before.

"I told you I'm not going to have sex without your consent."

"Then what do you want to do?" He looked confused for a moment.

"Let's talk a little. What's your name?"

"My name?" He looked at me with wide eyes. "What for?"

"What else would I call you?"

"You can call me whatever you want. You're my master, remember?"

"Then I want to call you by your name. So?"

"...It's... Nanao." He whispered.

"It suits you." I complimented but he didn't respond. "How old are you?"

"I don't know."

"Why is that?"

"I don't know how long I've been held captive."

"Then when were you born?"

"In 1994."

"Then you're 19. A year older than me. How long have you been doing this?"

"Doing this? You mean being a slave?"

I nodded.

"Since I was 16."

If the sex thing didn't shock me enough, the fact that he was very young when he started it certainly did.

"But that's... you were underage. That's illegal..."

"Do you think they mind? I wasn't in the system until I turned 18. That's when I got the tattoo too."

"So, why did you chose to..."

"Who said I became one willingly?" He yelled. That was the first time he raised his voice. We both stayed silent a while in shock.

"You were..."

He cut me off before I had the chance to finish. His anger made him forget his position as my pet, but I was too curious to mind. "They kidnapped me when I was 16 and put me in a cage, then sold me to some old geezer."

I couldn't say anything. Now I knew why he tried to get away. He didn't choose this life-style.

How am I supposed to react? Should I free him? But... I don't want to. He's beautiful and kind. I want to get to know him. And maybe... just maybe he falls in love with me and chooses to stay.

That's it... I will free him when I know he is willing to stay with me.

* * *

Dear Reader,

If you want me to continue, please drop a review and... LET'S PLAY A GAME!

If you have any suggestions as to how the story should proceed, please let me know and I will consider the ideas when writing the next chapter. I only have the general idea about how to end this. The way to get there is still uncertain, so that's why I would like to see what others have in mind. I welcome any ideas no matter how much torture, pain or sex is involved. Just leave a review or a PM and we'll see how it turns out.

Thanks for reading,

Hermina


	3. Chapter 2

WARNING: talk of rape

This chapter was corrected by my beta reader, Seerstella.

* * *

**Chapter 2**

The next couple of days went by quietly. Nanao didn't say a word to me. Not when I brought his food or when I tried talking to him. It'd been five days already. But on the sixth day he surprised me with a question.

"What's your name?"

"Hm?"

"You know my name, but I don't know yours. Or do you want me to call you Master?"

"Don't. My name is Aikawa Kuon."

"Aikawa, huh?!"

That was all the conversation I got with him. He asked for my name, but never called me. At least not in the next few days.

I found something interesting. In the shop, the keeper said Nanao always tried to get away, that was why he was sedated. But he's been here for more than a week now, and nothing happened.

Then I got an idea.

There is a video camera in the room. In every slave's room there is one, to keep an eye on them. So naturally, I can see what he's doing when I'm not around. But I never switched it on, thinking he could use some privacy.

However, the lack of conversation made me realize that I want to know him so much that I no longer cared about privacy. And if he's not willing to talk to me, then I have to find out more about him on my own. So the next day I went to give him his breakfast and found him still sleeping, I switched on the camera.

* * *

That evening I took the tape and watched his every move carefully. Then I saw it. He _did_ try to get away. Trying to reach the door and get his hand out of the cuff. Pulling with all his might to free himself. Then I saw him trying to unlock the cuff with something.

How did he get that? I'm always careful of what I give him. I have to take care of that later.

In the evening I went down to his chamber to give him dinner. He was sitting on the bed, not looking at me, not saying a word. I put down the food next to the door where he couldn't reach it and went to sit next to him.

He looked up. First at the food then at me, at last. I couldn't keep my eyes away from him. Those sapphires he calls eyes, they mesmerize me. And his lips and thin frame…

When my eyes wandered lower I noticed something. His wrist. It was bruised again.

Oh, right, that struggle for freedom. I knelt in front of him and took his hand in mine while looking into his eyes.

"Promise you're not going to run away!"

He looked at me questioningly but said nothing. I pulled out the key that was on a chain around my neck and unlocked the cuff. He gasped when the restrains disappeared but did nothing else.

I moved for the first aid kit that was on the plate next to the food I brought. I had to walk back to get it. When I reached the door I felt the air rushing by. Immediately, I understood what happened.

He took the opportunity and ran out of the room. I froze for a moment. If he catches him that man will…. I ran after him. Fortunately he was out of shape and stopped near stairs, panting for breath. I grabbed his bruised wrist and yanked him back.

Then I heard footsteps from above. Someone was coming this way.

I ran and pushed him into the nearest room. Just then someone turned on the corner and stopped on the top of the stairs.

It was _him_.

"Kuon. What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be getting ready to sleep? It's not the time to play with that unnatural toy of yours."

"Father, I was about to go upstairs. Why are _you_ here? Your slaves are in the other wing." I said calmly. I had a very good idea about where he was heading.

My father, Aikawa Reiga was a ruthless and cruel man when it came to slaves. He liked torturing and killed some while 'playing' with them. He was well known in the slave-market for buying a new one every other month, because they never lasted longer than that. The luckiest ones lost their minds and were left in one of the cells or sold to poorer people. The unlucky ones died while chained to the wall, raped countless times, beaten, broken.

I saw a few of his pets before. They were always very thin, bones sticking out. That was because there is a rule in this house when it comes to slaves. Well, there's more than one, but this is the most important: Your slave, your responsibility. That means, whatever your slave did, you did too. The punishment will be equal, or almost equal. The point is both the slave and the owner will receive punishment.

But it also has another meaning. It means that the owner has to take care of their slaves too, which includes food, clothes, medication, etc. And my father doesn't like serving others. So that's why he seldom gives his slaves food. And it resulted in more than one of them dying of hunger.

When I saw them dying like that, I promised myself never to do such a thing. If I ever had a slave, I would take care of them. Feed them properly, and treat them like human beings, not like animals.

Speaking about animals, that was the other thing about my father. He treated them like animals, with collars around their necks and on a tight leash. He often used a whip on them as discipline measure. More than once they were locked in a cold cell for days without food, water, clothes and light; lying in the darkness waiting for someone to rescue them. And when someone actually came, they had to realize, that he was there for something else. He wanted to see them submit to his will, humiliating them to his heart's desire.

There was this one I remember vividly. A woman who, just like my Nanao, tried to get out, not submitting to his will. She was beaten up every day, often with broken bones, and had to spend more than one night standing in the dark, not able to sit down while cuffs restrained her hands and legs, not letting her move them. She was placed in the 'training room' which was a small one – just enough to stand - with cold hard floor and no light. On the walls there were sharp metal spikes, so if she was too tired to stand, those things would pierce her. She was there for days, with little time spent outside.

Unfortunately for her, Father finds stubborn slaves interesting. When she wasn't in that room, he took her to the 'special room'.

And that is the worst part of the mansion. It's more like a torture room than anything else with every torture stool one can imagine.

And my father, being the sadist he is, liked sexual torture the most. He pierced her nipples, poured hot wax on her, while putting two huge dildos in her two holes. Then he left her there, with her hands and legs bound and the dildos working full speed. After a while he went back and tried to strangle her with a rope. He didn't want to kill her, just make her suffer.

But this didn't work either. So after some whipping she was sent back to the 'training room'. The next day she was beaten badly, because Father seemed to be in a really bad mood. And that turned out to be the worst or best – depending on whose point of view – action to take.

Because the next day he went to get her, she was dead. With the torture she endured for two weeks and the excessive internal bleeding she had from the last beating, she died in that small, dark room.

And I'm worried about Nanao, because he's just like her. Stubborn and untamed. And now he tried to run away. If my father figures this out, he'll do the same thing to him, and I can't let that happen.

"I'd like to see that pet of yours. You don't say anything about it. How's training? Do you want me to help you break it in?"

"You don't need to know, Father. The training is going well, thank you for asking. No need to help me. I have a different approach."

Father scoffed. "Oh, you mean that you're 'playing nice' to earn its trust? That's stupid. Beat it up, rape it. Show that thing who's the master here and it will do whatever you want."

"I'm doing it my way. He's mine. Don't interrupt."

"Have it your way. But you only get a month. If he's not submitting by then, then I'll teach him a lesson." He said before walking away.

I sighed in relief when the footsteps could no longer be heard. Thankfully Nanao didn't make any sound so my father didn't find out about his second attempt to escape. When I opened the door I found him standing next to it, probably thinking about our conversation.

Without a word I grabbed his hand, this time the one that wasn't bruised, and dragged him back into his room. When we entered I pushed him on the bed and cuffed his uninjured wrist. After getting the first aid kit I cleaned and bandaged the other without a word and left the room.

I was too angry to say anything. It was the best option that time.

* * *

The next morning I woke up very early. While thinking about Nanao I watched the tape about last night. I was curious about what he did after I left. Then I noticed.

The food.

I didn't give him his dinner, when I first entered the room, but left it by the door, in his room. After attending to his hand I forgot about it. It was left in the room… but out of reach. On the video I could see him reaching out, but it was too far.

It must have been a long night for him, having the food just an inch too far to reach. He must thought I did this intentionally.

Without changing I went to the kitchen to make breakfast. When I entered his chamber I saw him sitting on the bed, curled up.

"Good morning. I brought you some breakfast." I greeted before sitting down on the bed. He looked at me and cautiously took the plate then started to devour the food. "I'm sorry about your dinner. I forgot that I put it there."

"I thought that was your way of punishing me for what happened."

"No. I told you I don't believe in torture."

"Thank you."

"Hm?" That was a first.

"For not telling that man about me running away. I have a very bad feeling about him."

"Yeah. You should try not pissing him off. He's dangerous."

"So how are you going to 'train' me? I'm not sure playing nice will help you."

"I don't really know. One thing I know is that I'm not going to torture or rape you. I can promise you that."

"Then what am I here for? The only purpose you bought me is to please you sexually."

"I'd like that. But I want you to do it willingly."

"That's not going to happen."

I didn't reply to that. Hopefully it will. I'd like to touch him, have him touch me. But I know he's not ready yet.

* * *

Now that he was a little bit more talkative I decided to take a step further. The next day I went there, bringing breakfast with me. But this time, I brought food for two. When I put the plate on the bed I saw his puzzled expression.

"I'd like to have breakfast with you."

He just shrugged and reached for a slice of buttered bread and put honey on it. After taking a few bites he picked up his milk and took a sip. He looked at me questioningly after setting it back down.

"Are you not eating?"

I smiled and reached toward his face. When he saw what I was doing he jumped back expecting me to hit him.

"I'm not going to hurt you." He still looked a bit scared. That was a first. "You have milk on the corner of your mouth."

He rubbed his mouth but didn't try to get close to eat until I started eating my own breakfast. That was when he moved closer and reached for his unfinished bread.

After finishing the quiet breakfast I took the plates to the kitchen and went back down. He looked surprised when I entered, given how I never went back before.

"Let's talk!"

"I don't have anything to talk about with you."

"We can find something we both enjoy."

"I'm locked up in a basement with a cuff on my wrist and you put it on me. Why do we have to talk?"

"I'd like to know more about you."

"Like what?"

"Do you like reading?"

"I didn't have much opportunity to read in the last couple of years."

"… Do you want to?"

"Can I?"

"Sure."

"What do I have to do in return?"

"Nothing. Just talk to me a little."

"… okay."

"What kind of book would you like?"

"Something about Psychology?"

"You like that stuff?"

"I'm interested in your method of training me."

"I'll see what I can find."

With that I left the room to search for books. It wasn't an easy task because our library was a huge one with lots of books about everything. When I reached the Psychology section, I looked at the titles and tried to find something good.

Having no idea where to look for a book that says something about my training method, I just picked out some. With five thick books in hand I made my way back to the dungeons.

He was sitting on the bed waiting for me. When I put three of the books in front of him he reached out enthusiastically and read the titles. 'Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking' by Susan Cain, 'Why does the World Exist?' by Jim Holt and 'The Power of Habit' by Charles Duhigg.

He picked the last one and started reading.

After a few minutes I picked a book I brought for myself and started reading as well. I later realized that it'd been hours since we started, so I left the room quietly and prepared some lunch. When I came back, he was still sitting on the bed with the book in hand. I didn't think he noticed me leaving earlier.

"Nanao." He looked up and stared at the food. "It's past lunch time. We should eat."

"Okay." He put the book aside and started eating.

"So how's the book?" I asked. At that point I realized that this was the right thing to do. He started talking enthusiastically about how habits rule our lives and breaking them can change even our financial situation.

The lunch was soon finished but he didn't stop talking, even answering some of my questions.

Then we resumed our earlier activity. Sitting next to each other reading. The afternoon went by quickly and soon I realized it was time to make dinner. So I left quietly and returned with some fresh, delicious food. This time he noticed my arrival and set the book aside without a word.

The dinner passed by silently. But after that I had to go back upstairs before my father came down to 'check up on me'. I was ready to leave, picking up the books when he talked.

"Can you leave that book here?"

I didn't answer for a while. I knew I shouldn't leave it. It was dangerous. If he damaged it, we'd both be in trouble. But then again… this was my chance.

"I have two conditions."

"Yes?" He asked suspiciously.

"First, you have to promise me that you won't damage it."

"Okay. I promise."

"And second… you have to kiss me."

"What?"

"You heard me."

He looked shocked and… disappointed? I couldn't tell.

"Why? You said you won't force me."

"I'm not forcing you."

He stood and walked towards me. He's shorter than me, so he had to stand on his tiptoes to reach me, but then I felt his lips gently and briefly touch mine. That was when I lost control and wrapped both my hands around him, dropping the books, holding him close and not letting the kiss end. I was about to deepen the kiss when I realized he was struggling, trying to push me away.

When it was registered in my mind I let go of him suddenly. Nanao, being smaller and weaker and me letting go abruptly, fell onto the ground panting. When I looked down I saw him staring at me angrily.

"I'm sorry." That was the only thing I could say before picking up the books, leaving the one he wanted to read, and fled.


	4. Chapter 3

Beta read by Seerstella

Chapter 3

* * *

**NANAO'S POV**

When I woke up I found a man next to me. To be honest, he was young and good-looking. Probably around my age. For a moment, I didn't understand what was going on. But after looking at my wrists, which were bandaged nicely, I realized this man was probably my new owner.

I looked around to find possible way to escape and found the door wide open, no rope or cuffs around my body, and reality hit me.

_This is my chance._

As I decided to run for it, the man - more like young one - looked at me. I panicked and as he moved closer I pushed him away with all my strength, which wasn't much considering how long I was sedated and how hungry I was, and fled.

Or at least I tried to flee. I looked back over my shoulder to see how far he was, and saw him lying on the ground. I stopped to look at him. He seemed to be unconscious so I made my way back into the room. I wanted to run away, but I didn't want anything bad to happen to him. He _did_ bandage my injuries, after all.

When I reached him I realized what happened. He must have hit his forehead on the edge of the bed as I pushed him away, since it was slightly bleeding. I knelt down and poked his side lightly, but he didn't budge. I poked harder and when nothing happened I became worried and started shaking him.

That was when he groaned and opened his eyes. He looked at me then at the open door.

_Shit! I have to run!_

As I was about to make a run for it he grabbed my arm.

_No! I have to get away, damn it! Let go!_

"Please stay." He said and I froze because he sounded like he was pleading. "I'm sorry I can't let you go. I won't hurt you I promise." I was too shocked to respond. "You came back for me, right? You were worried about me. Thank you, you're kind."

_I'm trapped._

As I realized I had no chance of running away, I let my body relax a little. I wouldn't have a chance like this in the near future.

But instead of trying to get away from him I asked, "Are you okay?"

He seemed fine, but maybe he got a concussion or something. Fortunately other than the bleeding, nothing seemed wrong.

When he said he'd take care of his bleeding forehead, we stood and walked back to the bed, his hand holding mine. His grip wasn't strong, but I knew there was no way I could get my hand out of it. I looked at the door longingly for one last time before turning my gaze towards the floor.

"Sorry, but I have to put this on you."

I looked at the cuff he was holding. It was attached to a long chain that came out of the wall.

_I don't want a beating now. Don't beat me up._

The only thing I could do was hold let him put it on me. He apologized. Why should he? He should've been punishing me for what I did. Trying to escape and injuring him… those are something he should've hit me for, not apologize.

When he started sweet-talking about how he's not going to torture me and so, I started to lose my patience.

He tried to convince me that he's different and would never hurt me. I knew that was not true. He bought me to be his slave in bed, and sex is very painful. It's _always_ painful. So how on earth is he not going to hurt me?

Then I realized I was his first, so he probably didn't know how to handle me. But still, there was one thing I couldn't understand. Why would he choose me and not a girl?

I asked him that, and he only answered, "I don't want a girl."

"You're gay?!"

It was surprising. He _is_ very handsome so I assumed he could get any girl he wanted, but seemed like he had no interest in them.

"Yes, and I guess you are too."

"...Probably."

"What do you mean probably?"

I didn't know what to say. What should I say to that, anyway? The truth is: I was never given a chance to decide whether I like boys or girls. I was raped by old men countless times and never had any interaction with girls. I couldn't even remember the last time I saw or talked to a female.

He seemed to have given up on getting an answer out of me because he left without a word. Just when I was about to look for a way out, I heard someone approaching so I resumed my earlier position just when he entered the room.

"I brought you something to eat."

When I heard that I realized how hungry I was. I didn't remember how long I was sedated and how they fed me, but I was indeed starving.

When the plate was put on my lap, I started shoving the food down my throat without looking at what I was eating. I knew it was foolish because he could have put something in my food, not to mention my 'inappropriate behavior' could have earned me a beating. But I was too hungry to care.

The plate became empty way too soon. I was nowhere near full when I saw him leaving. A few minutes later, he came back with more, which shocked me to no end. I took the plate from him gratefully, though I didn't let it show on my face and ate everything.

When he offered to bring me more I declined. I decided to play the good 'pet' for today and told him it was his turn. I had to thank him for the food, after all.

"My turn?"

"Usually when someone buys me, they give me food then try to break me in."

"Break you in?"

When he asked that, I knew he wasn't lying about me being his first slave. Or… he was just too young to know how to handle a 'toy' like me. No experienced master would ask such a ridiculous question.

"You're really that inexperienced? I mean sex."

His remark made me feel exasperated. _Do I have to spell everything out?_

For a brief moment he looked shocked. I didn't know what was so surprising about what I said, since that was how my first days went by every time I got a new owner. After the surprise disappeared from his eyes he repeated what he said earlier in a blunt voice.

"I told you I'm not going to have sex without your consent."

It was my turn to be surprised as I couldn't understand what he wanted from me. He bought me, so I'd be used for something, I just couldn't figure out what for. So, I asked him what he wanted from me.

As if I haven't been surprised enough yet, he only said he wanted to talk. Before I could answer, he asked for my name. No one ever asked for my name. They just called me 'whore' or 'dog' or even worse.

"My name? What for?"

It turned out he wanted to call me by my name. I didn't know whether it was a good thing or not, but I answered his question.

"… It's… Nanao."

After that he asked about my age. It was a sensitive topic for me, because none of my masters bothered to know. I was underage and they didn't want to get into trouble, so the easiest way was to never speak about it. But he wanted to know, so we found a way to figure out. He asked about my birth year, which I still remembered.

It was a shock to me.

_I'm 19 years old._

_I'm _only_ 19._

I thought I was older. The time I spent in cold chambers seemed like an eternity, but was only three years in reality.

And I learnt one more thing. My owner was a year younger than me. I've never had an owner this young. They were all more than three times my age. However, I could tell he was a lot stronger than me, so that didn't change things at all.

Then he asked about how long I've been a slave.

"Since I was 16."

He seemed surprised. That's probably the right reaction for him but mine was different. I've long stopped caring about that.

"But that's... you were underage. That's illegal..."

"Do you think they mind? I wasn't in the system until I turned 18. That's when I got the tattoo too." Now he looked confused and his next question made me lose it.

"So, why did you choose to..."

Anger flared up inside me and I started yelling at him.

"Who said I became one willingly?"

Right after I said that I realized what happened. He was my master and had every right to beat the crap out of me for shouting like that. But instead of doing that he just sat quietly.

When he wanted to ask more I told him that I was kidnapped and forced to do this.

He didn't say anything else for a while then left.

* * *

The next day I was expecting him to change his mind and attack me, but he never did. Instead, he brought me food and left as soon as I finished. The next few days went by like this, except for the few occasions when he tried talking to me, but as I said nothing he just left.

There was one thing that bugged me, but I wasn't sure if I could ask. He seemed different from my previous owners so… maybe he wouldn't attack me if I asked.

"What's your name?"

_Aikawa Kuon._

I didn't think he'd actually answer, but it felt good. I'd never known the names of my owners, so this was new. Not to mention I liked the fact that he called me by name and that I could do the same. I didn't want to think about it, but it made us sound like… equals.

It'd been a few days now, or at least I thought because there was no window or clock here to help me keep track of time, and nothing unpleasant happened so far. Aikawa always brought me nice and fresh food, which was more than what others had done for me.

However, I wasn't so content as to sit back and enjoy it though. Almost every time when I was alone I tried getting away. I knew it was futile, because my hand was cuffed and without the key there was no way of getting it off. Still, I tried getting my hand out or reach the door.

Sometimes I felt the cuff dug into my wrist, often making it bleed but I never stopped trying. The day I stopped trying would be when they finally broke me in and that was not going to happen anytime soon.

One day, I found a wire without him noticing and tried unlocking the cuff. Sadly, it was useless and it was taken from me the next day when he brought me food.

I knew something was wrong when he put the food down by the door where I couldn't reach it. I braced myself for what was coming and looked him in the eye, so that he knew I wasn't scared of him. However, instead of a beating I was expecting, he took my hand, knelt in front of me and said,

"Promise you're not going to run away!"

I didn't understand what he meant until he unlocked the cuff. For a moment I froze. And when he turned away I ran without looking back.

I had to stop to catch my breath, even though I hadn't got too far. Three years locked in a room did nothing good to my stamina. When I was about to start running again I felt him grabbing my wrist. It hurt as he pushed me into a small dark room.

I thought it was punishment for what I did and was about to shout when I heard a man.

"Kuon. What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be getting ready to sleep? It's not the time to play with that unnatural toy of yours."

_Who is he?_

The man's voice and the way he talked made me shiver. By his voice only, I could tell he was a bad man.

"Father, I was about to go upstairs. Why are _you_ here? Your slaves are in the other wing."

_Father?_

Aikawa's father? Despite of my fear, I found it interesting that the feeling he gave me was totally different from what I got when I first met Aikawa. My owner seemed inexperienced, calm, strong but somewhat kind. However, this man sounded cruel and ruthless. He scared me.

"I'd like to see that pet of yours. You don't say anything about it. How's training? Do you want me to help you break it in?"

"You don't need to know, Father. The training is going well, thank you for asking. No need to help me. I have a different approach."

I was relieved when Aikawa refused his help, but what I heard next made me realize why I hadn't been punished yet.

"Oh, you mean that you're 'playing nice' to earn its trust? That's stupid. Beat it up, rape it. Show that thing who's the master here and it will do whatever you want."

"I'm doing it my way. He's mine. Don't interrupt."

"Have it your way. But you only get a month. If he's not submitting by then, then I'll teach him a lesson."

That was when I couldn't stop thinking. What did he mean by 'playing nice'? That never worked. The way to train slaves is to show them who the stronger one is. Still, I liked Aikawa's approach and it felt like I could trust him. Not like I would actually let my guard down around him.

I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding when the man's retreating footsteps were heard. A moment later the door opened. Aikawa grabbed my hand and pulled me back to the room, where he cuffed my hand and made me sit down while he went back to the door.

When I thought he was going to give me food he came back with a first-aid box and took my other hand in his. He then started wiping the dried blood from my wrist and bandaged it before leaving the room without a word.

It was pretty obvious that he was angry with me. I understood, though, I knew he didn't want to lose his slave and all.

When I'd calmed down, I realized how hungry I was. Remembering the food by the door I looked up and there it was. I knew I couldn't reach it, but I still tried.

It smelled so good that I couldn't stop trying and spent hours finding a way to get it, but all my efforts were useless. Eventually I gave up and sat back on the bed. He promised not to torture me. But he never said anything about not punishing me, so I knew there was no reason for me to try anymore.

* * *

When he finally showed up he had a plate in his hands. As I was devouring the food he apologized about putting my dinner there. I thanked him for not telling that man, his father, that I tried to escape. I was sure he would have hurt me badly for that.

Talking about that man brought up another topic.

"So how are you going to 'train' me? I'm not sure playing nice will help you."

When I asked him, he reassured me again about not using underhanded methods, like torture or rape to tame me.

"Then what am I here for? The only purpose you bought me is to please you sexually."

"I'd like that. But I want you to do it willingly."

_Willingly?_

Why would I willingly engage in an act that brought me nothing but pain?! However, when I told him it wasn't going to happen, he didn't reply.

* * *

The next time he came to my room he brought with him enough food for two. When I looked at him questioningly, he calmly stated.

"I'd like to have breakfast with you."

I didn't mind eating with him, so the only reply I gave him was a shrug as I started eating. A few moments later, I realized he wasn't eating, but watching me.

"Are you not eating?"

When I said that I saw him smile. It surprised me so much I didn't notice his hand until he almost touched my face.

"I'm not going to hurt you."

He thought I was scared of him. However, the feeling that appeared in me when I saw his smile scared me, not him. "You have milk on the corner of your mouth."

I was confused about this new feeling and watched him until he started eating. When we finished, as usual, he took the plates and disappeared.

What surprised me was when he came back a few minutes later and wanted to talk. He asked me if I liked reading, to which question I gave him a rude reply.

"I didn't have much opportunity to read in the last couple of years."

Fortunately (and surprisingly), this didn't seem to anger him as he asked what I would like to read. I was a bit suspicious about what he wanted in return, but he said he only wanted to talk.

When I told him I wanted to know how he was going to train me, he agreed to bring me some psychology books.

I was sitting on the bed when he came back with five thick books. He put three of them in front of me. I read the titles and picked out the most interesting one for me.

We sat silently side by side, both reading a book for hours when he appeared with some food. I didn't even notice him leaving. He asked about my book and we started talking. I didn't know it could be so good to just talk. For a guy his age, he was pretty smart and had very good questions.

Later, we resumed reading quietly and I found the time spent with him to be very pleasant.

Dinner went by quietly. This time we didn't talk and the silence wasn't uncomfortable or awkward, but very peaceful. For a moment it felt like we were just ordinary friends spending some time together.

When he was about to leave and picked up the books I asked,

"Can you leave that book here?"

He seemed reluctant but I knew he was thinking about it. Then he turned to me with a strange light in his eyes.

"I have two conditions."

Now _that_ didn't sound good. However, I wanted to read the book so badly I didn't outright refuse.

The first was to not damage it and I promised him I wouldn't. However, the second one…

"…you have to kiss me."

_Kiss?_

I didn't know what to think. Just when I thought he was a good guy. But then again, he could have forced me to do it and he didn't.

I thought about it for a moment and decided to do as he said.

_It's just a kiss._

I stood and walked to him. I realized how tall he was when I had to stand on my tiptoes to reach his mouth as I brushed my lips against his. The contact sent a shiver down my spine for whatever reason, but then I felt his hands around me, pulling me closer and not letting go.

I struggled to get away and suddenly he let go. I fell to the ground and glared at him. The way he dropped my body like that angered me.

"I'm sorry." He whispered and left.

I stayed on the ground and stared at the closed door. The feeling that wouldn't go away since the kiss scared me. My heart was beating like crazy and I couldn't breathe.

I touched my slightly swollen lips and I could feel his lips again. The realization that I might _like_ Aikawa, my captor, made me blush. I only sat there in the cold room for who knows how long until I saw the book lying not too far from me.

I smiled and picked it up before going back to the bed and lie down. I was too flustered to read, so I just hugged the book close and thought about the kiss and the feeling of it stirred up inside me.

For hours I was just lying there restlessly until finally sleep took over.

_I like the person who had captured me._

_I like him._

_This is a disaster._


	5. Chapter 4

Beta read by Seerstella

Chapter 4

* * *

**KUON'S POV**

That night I couldn't sleep. The kiss kept repeating in my head and I couldn't forget the way Nanao glared at me. He was angry and probably disappointed. I promised never to force him and I broke it the first time I got a little closer.

The only thing I could do was apologizing and hoping he'd trust me again. The more I thought about it the less likely it seemed.

And there was another pressing issue too. My father gave me a month before taking matters into his own hands. That means I have to make some progress with Nanao in two weeks. _Two weeks_.

Treating him like a human being and talking to him helped, but that didn't make us lovers.

_So how should I approach him?_

There weren't many things we could talk about because he spent the last three years locked up, chained to the wall with nothing to do when his masters were busy. When they weren't, he was tortured and raped and forced to endure countless perverse things.

Forcing myself to sleep, I tried emptying my mind as I closed my eyes. The sun appeared under the horizon when I finally managed to drift into a restless dream.

I heard Nanao screaming under me as I touched his body, and thrust into him. He cried and cried and begged me to stop, but I just kept pounding until blood was oozing out of him. I was about to come when I clenched my fingers around his neck. As I calmed down, I noticed he was no longer struggling. Looking down I understood what happened; I had strangled him to death.

I woke up drenched in sweat and panting for air. I looked around, searching for Nanao, but fortunately he wasn't there. It was just a dream. The next thing I noticed was my erection. Not wanting to think about how sick this was, I went to the bathroom to take care of it.

After finishing I went to the kitchen and made breakfast for us. I noticed how much he likes simple food, like rice balls, so I made him lots of it. We usually eat what the housekeepers make, but I wanted to make something for my Nanao.

When I entered his room, I found him sitting on the bed with the book I left last night. Noticing me, he looked right into my eyes and I saw him blushed slightly just before looking back to his mattress.

This reaction left me a little confused, but I didn't let it show and stepped closer. Nor did I let him see how nervous I was. Dream Nanao appeared before my eyes and I froze for a moment. After calming down I offered him the food, avoiding his eyes.

"I brought you breakfast."

He didn't look up as he took the plate and started eating. We sat quietly until the food was finished and I took the opportunity to leave this awkward atmosphere as I left with the plates.

I knew there was no way to run away, so I made my way back down with the books from yesterday in my hand and sat next to him on the bed.

For a while we just sat there, both pretending to read, until I spoke.

"You almost finished the book."

He flinched when I talked but didn't say anything.

"Liked it?"

I needed something to talk about, anything to break the awkward silence between us. His answer came after a very long silence, which was almost unbearable.

"Yes." He whispered. I didn't know if he was angry or scared.

That was all the conversation we got that day. He finished the book and took the next one. I kept looking at him from the corner of my eye, the dream never left my memory.

After dinner I watched him climbing onto bed. He shivered and that was the first time I realized how cold the room gets every night, even though it was warm outside. This was a basement room, so the coolness made the summer heat bearable, but at night it was very cold.

I went up to my room and pulled a blanket from my wardrobe. He looked surprised when I appeared at the door but said nothing. I went to his bed and put the blanket on him. Since the awkward silence didn't break throughout the day, I quietly left.

"Good night." suddenly I heard a quiet whisper from behind.

That whisper stopped me from leaving. I faced him from the door, trying to control the aftershock. He looked at me gratefully and I knew tomorrow would be much better. I switched off the light with a quiet 'good night' and left.

That night, I didn't have trouble sleeping and my dreams were much more pleasant. However, Nanao was still the main figure in it. But this time we read books together in the garden.

Someday, we'll go out together.

_Someday._

* * *

The next day, as usual, I brought books with me. He looked at the one I was reading and started asking questions.

"You're interested in Economy?"

I was pleasantly surprised by his interest and replied calmly.

"Yes."

"Are you going to college next year?"

I noticed he was in a talkative mood, so I put the book down and turned to him.

"Yes."

"Economics?"

He seemed amused for some odd reason. I couldn't understand what was so funny, but answered his questions anyway.

"Yes."

He looked even more amused. "You're not very talkative, are you?"

"No."

At that moment something incredible happened.

He _laughed_. He _laughed_!

The sound of it echoed in the chamber, making it even more beautiful. Eyes sparkling with liveliness, face red and smiling, and I couldn't take my eyes away from him. He looked even more beautiful than ever. That was when I realized something.

_I want to see him smiling happily by my side._

_I want him to always be cheerful. _

_Always… by my side…_

Without thinking I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his. He froze for a moment but relaxed soon after. This time he didn't struggle when I put my arms around him and pulled him closer. I started nibbling on his lower lip and he opened his mouth a bit, just enough for my tongue to slip in.

I took the opportunity and made circular motions in the hot cavern tasting him. He was intoxicating and made me want more, but I knew not to push my luck. It would be much too soon to take the next step.

It was enough he let me go this far. Reluctantly, I separated myself from him, but let my hands stay on his waist. He was out of breath and blushing. The sight only made me want to kiss him more, but I resisted the temptation.

"Why did you kiss me?" He asked, still a bit out of breath.

"You looked beautiful."

What I said made him turn bright red as he shook his head.

"I'm a man. Don't call me beautiful," he muttered and looked down at his hands, but the blush didn't disappear.

"As you wish." I hugged him close and rested my head on his shoulder.

"You need to stop making fun of your elders."

His tone was playful so I didn't pull away from him as I replied. "I'm not."

"You are."

"Am not."

"You are."

"Am not."

I found myself enjoying that simple banter. It was obvious that Nanao enjoyed it as well, for he repeated the same two words over and over again. We continued to do so until he broke out laughing, again, and it was the second time I saw him laughing that day.

It was beautiful, although I'd never admit it. I unconsciously tightened my arms around him and kissed his temple. He was warm, _so_ warm, that I didn't want to let go.

If only he weren't a slave of mine.

The rest of the day we spent reading, with Nanao leaning against me. It was quiet and peaceful, not like the awkward silence we had the day before.

He read his book, not paying attention to me touching his arm from time to time, although he smiled a little every time I did it.

After dinner I stayed behind for a while, waiting for him to go to sleep. The peaceful expression he had on his face as he slept made me want to slip into bed next to him and hold his warm body close to mine.

However, that was probably pushing it too far, so I just left after kissing his forehead one last time.

* * *

The next few days were spent pretty much the same way. We read and cuddled a little and Nanao let me kiss him from time to time. But I noticed he never initiated anything; he just let me do what I wanted. That worried me a little. I knew he did so because I was his master and he was afraid I'd punish him.

One day my friends, Izumi and Aragaki made a surprise visit, asking me to introduce them to Nanao.

"You talk about him so much we became curious." Izumi said and walked into the house.

Not knowing how to get out of this I showed them the way and we walked into Nanao's room to find him sitting on the bed.

We just finished breakfast so he was probably waiting for me to bring some books.

He looked up with a smile as we entered, but his expression soon became frightful. Strangers probably scared him, but Izumi didn't seem to notice it as he stepped closer and said.

"So this is the famous 'Nanao'?! I have to say he really is beautiful."

Nanao backed away from him as Izumi sat down on the bed. Aragaki was watching them from the door with me. He probably knew better than to approach someone like Nanao head on.

I noticed Nanao glancing at me so I decided to help him out.

"Nanao, these are my friends Izumi and Aragaki. They wanted to see you." I said and joined them on the bed. As soon as I sat down I felt Nanao slide closer to me. He seemed to be a bit more courageous with me next to him as he started conversing with Izumi.

"N-nice to meet you."

"Hi. I've heard so much about you." Izumi stated with a grin on his face. Now that Nanao talked to him, he was **not** going to shut up for a while. "Well… that's not true. Aikawa didn't say much about you, but he brought up your name numerous times."

"Really?" Nanao looked at me questioningly.

"Yeah. He said you're interested in Economics and Psychology and that you're beautiful." Nanao blushed and looked away from me.

"Can you handle his cold and hard nature? He's a weird fellow." Izumi continued as if his words had no effect on both me and Nanao.

Nanao laughed. "He's not like that," he argued quietly.

"Oh yes, he is. I bet he is the kind that if betrayed by his lover, he'll become the 'I-will-kill-you-first-before-killing-myself' type. Isn't that right?" He asked, looking at me. "Go on and deny it!"

"…I don't deny it."

"What?" At this point, Nanao was looking at us in a way that I couldn't tell if he was angry, scared or something else.

"Don't talk nonsense, you two." Aragaki cut in. Nanao flinched, probably forgetting about him being in the room too.

"It's not nonsense, Gakki." Izumi joked.

"Don't call me that." Aragaki snapped but Izumi just laughed and a small smile appeared on Nanao's face.

They seemed to get along well and I was really grateful for that. I didn't have many friends due to my 'cold and hard' nature (according to them), but these two always stood by my side, even though my father didn't like me being friends with them. In his opinion they are way below us and should have nothing to do with our family.

However, I appreciated their friendship and that they treated Nanao well only made me feel more convinced that I chose the right people to be friends with.

They stayed for a few hours and left when it was time for Nanao to eat.

When I walked them out I saw my father talking with a shady man. The way they looked gave me a bad feeling and the part of the conversation I caught didn't lighten my mood either.

"…In that case, can I have it?"

"Yes," my father replied. "Do whatever you want as long as it stays alive."

I couldn't hear more, but I could tell what they were talking about. One of the slaves will be given to that man, and just by looking at him I could tell he wasn't going to be gentle.

At the door, Aragaki told us the details about the trip we would do and they left.

I made my way back to Nanao after picking up something to eat. He still seemed high-spirited as he welcomed me with a big smile and started talking.

"You have really good friends."

"Yes." I nodded as we started eating.

He asked a few questions about them, but soon we slipped back into a comfortable silence and enjoyed our time together.

After dinner, I went back into his room and sat down next to him. He let me kiss and hug him. I noticed his hands were clutching my shirt tightly as I pulled him closer. The kiss became more and more passionate and it was hard to stop myself from going any further.

As I broke the kiss, I could feel his reluctance so I dived in to steal another one. He was surprised for a moment but responded quickly as he parted his lips.

This time, I lost my mind for a moment and my hands began to roam on his body. He stiffened as my left hand found its way under his shirt but that didn't stop me. However, when my right hand came to rest on his lower back he started to struggle.

The thing that stopped me was a sharp pain in my mouth.

He bit me.

That managed to bring me back to my senses and I released him quickly. He looked frightened, but I couldn't figure out why. Either he was scared of me going any further and raping him, or he was afraid I'd punish him for hurting me.

I raised my hand slowly to his face but he still flinched.

"It's okay." I said as I began to stroke his cheek. "Sorry I went too far. I'll wait until you're ready."

"What if I won't ever be ready?" He asked quietly.

I didn't answer, just continued stroking his face and kissed his forehead.

"It's okay." I repeated and stood up. "Good night."

With that I left the room and spent half of the night thinking about 'what if he won't ever be ready'.

* * *

Two days later I told him about my planes for the weekend.

"I'm going on a trip tomorrow."

"Trip? Where?"

He looked surprised, because I've been with him all this time and never mentioned anything about going somewhere.

"My new college."

"Are you going alone?"

"No."

He frowned at my short answer and I, secretly enjoying the situation, made him work for more information. I could see curiosity radiating off him.

"Who are you going with?"

"With friends." Was it just me, or did he sound jealous on my answer?

"You mean Izumi and Aragaki?"

"Yes." Now he certainly seemed jealous.

_I wish I could take him with me._

"How long?"

"Three days."

I could see that he was panicking but didn't ask. I knew what he was thinking about, because I had told him the rule about slaves: a master has to take care of their own slaves.

"Don't worry."

"You'll leave food in the room?"

"No."

He frowned at my answer and glared up at me from the bed.

"I certainly _have_ a reason to worry."

"I've asked someone else to look after you."

"Who?"

He seemed suspicious and scared, most probably thinking about my father. After meeting my father, most people will think the whole family is sick, but that's not true. He's the only cruel man in this house.

"My brother."

"You have a brother?"

"Two."

He seemed pissed, and I knew why. We talked a lot these past couple of weeks, but never about me. And it was mostly him talking and me watching.

"You've never told me about them."

"You never asked."

He was pouting. The expression he had on his face was so cute that I almost couldn't stop the urge to hug him and never let go, but I stayed where I was.

"I'm asking now."

"What do you want to know?"

He thought about it for a moment then asked the first thing that came to his mind.

"His name."

"His? Which one?"

"The one who'll take care of me."

It was interesting to know that he only cared about the one I'm going to introduce to him anyway.

"Towa."

"How old is he?"

"13."

"That's just a little boy." Nanao murmured then he looked up at me. "Aren't you afraid I might hurt him?"

I stared hard at his face, looking for hurting intentions in his expression, and found none. "You wouldn't do that. I just know it."

"You have an awful lot of faith in me."

He said in a sarcastic tone, but my reply surprised him.

"Yes."

Blinking a few times he turned away and didn't comment. For a while he just stayed that way until I spoke again.

"Do you want to meet him?"

For a moment, the only reaction he had was that confused stare, but he soon understood who I was referring to and nodded. I left the room to search for my brother and found him in his room. I asked him to come and visit Nanao and he complied happily, as usual, so we soon found ourselves in that chamber.

Nanao looked at him for a moment and said:

"You look a lot like your brother."

"Really?" He said with a huge smile and jumped on the bed.

His reaction surprised Nanao and he froze the moment Towa sat down. When nothing happened, he turned to my brother and started talking.

"Do you have a _pet_?"

"Yes. His name is Alexander."

"Weird name." Nanao said, his eyebrows rising.

"It's a dog." I sighed and shook my head. Nanao looked at me questioningly then started chuckling.

When he finally stopped, he started questioning Towa with a smile.

"Are you in middle school?"

"Yes."

"Are you clever like your brother?"

"No. I'm going to be a delinquent."

The answer silenced Nanao for a moment, but his smile stretched from ear to ear as he continued talking. "Don't you want to be like him?"

"No. He's always grumpy and he works as a waitress."

The way Nanao looked at me clearly said that he was imagining me as a waitress. I knew my brother, so the only thing I could do was to shake my head and stay quiet. Nanao however, enjoyed the situation and asked more and more embarrassing questions from Towa.

"Does he have a girlfriend?"

"He only has boyfriends." Towa answered with an innocent expression and my Nanao was left to decide if he was this ignorant or I _really_ had several male lovers.

"Do _you_ have boyfriends?"

Yes, he drew the right conclusion and started teasing my brother who, being the hopeless case he was, didn't catch on to this and answered.

"Yes. A lot." Towa seemed to enjoy the conversation, not knowing how much Nanao was messing with him.

"Do you _like_ them?" Nanao's eyes shined playfully, but his tone remained serious. This seemed to confuse Towa a little, but he replied nevertheless.

"Yes. I like them a lot."

"Do they help you with your sexual frustration?"

"What…!? No… N-no, no…!"

Towa blushed and started shaking his hands and head frantically.

"Do you want _me_ to help you?"

Nanao leaned closer and wore an expression I wished he looked at me with. Towa tried to back away, which resulted in him falling off the bed.

For a moment, there was silence. But then Nanao started laughing while I just shook my head and looked at my little brother. Towa was gaping on the floor, rubbing his bottoms and not taking his eyes off of Nanao. He seemed scared and a bit angry at the same time. I could tell Nanao made one hell of a first impression.

"You have a beautiful face." Nanao said in a seductive tone as he moved close to the edge of the bed. "So stop wearing that expression. I assure you, form today onwards, you're gonna be a sexy guy." He reached out and touched Towa's face with his index finger.

My whole body started to heat up, but I didn't do anything as I watched the scene in front of me.

"Don't wanna…" Towa blushed and hid his face behind his hands, but let them fall when he heard movement.

Nanao slid a little closer, so close their noses almost touched and continued his teasing.

"Why don't you let onii-san eat you up? I might get hooked on you."

"W-w-wait…!" Towa blushed and tried to back away, but Nanao took his hands and didn't let him.

"Nanao." I said quietly and he let go immediately.

They were both frozen for a moment, Nanao scared of me and Towa frightened by Nanao.

When I sighed, they both relaxed and looked at me. Towa, remembering how close they were, backed away from the bed but didn't do or say anything else.

When I told him it was about time to leave, he jumped to his feet and ran out the door. I looked at Nanao but didn't say anything as I kissed him one last time before leaving for the day and for the weekend too.

_It will be a long three days without my Nanao._


	6. Chapter 5

Beta read by Seerstella

WARNINGS: torture, use of aphrodisiac, non-con, dark themes, sex toys, languages, etc.

Chapter 5

* * *

**NANAO'S POV**

I woke up to something being put around my neck. After opening my eyes I realized it was a collar with a chain attached to it and at the end of the chain, stood a man. He looked a lot like Aikawa with the same hair and eyes. But in his eyes I saw cruelty and hatred which was never on Aikawa's. This must be his father. Then I noticed the cuff was no longer on my wrist.

He didn't give me time to think as he yanked the chain, and I fell off the bed. He kept pulling it and no matter how much I struggled he got me out of the room. I couldn't even stand up as he dragged me on the cold floor.

A few minutes later we arrived in a creepy room. Before I got the chance to look around he tied my hands together and pulled me up. Next thing I knew I was hanging on a hook, feet barely touching the ground as he yanked my trousers and boxers down.

I shivered when I finally got the chance to look around.

_This is bad. Very bad. This is a torture room._

I moved frantically, trying to free myself, but all my efforts were in vain. Then the man turned to me with a bottle in his hand and smiled cruelly. He stepped closer to me, grabbed my hair with his left hand, and with the other he made me swallow some of the liquid from the bottle. It was bitter but I couldn't tell what it was.

Then he left. When I thought he was just going to leave me there, he reappeared, holding something in his hand. That cruel smile appeared again, and as he came closer, I knew what it was. I tried getting away but it didn't help. He came up to me, and with a disgusted look grabbed my cock and put the ring on it. Then he really left.

I didn't understand what was happening. Why would he leave me like this? The ring only works when he does things to me. But after about fifteen minutes I understood why.

My body started to burn and in a minute I had a painful erection. He gave me something to make me like this and it worked. The feeling was so intense I could hardly breathe. My legs felt so weak I would have fallen if not for the hook keeping me up. The room was moving around and my sight became blurry. All I could feel and think of was the pain in my cock, the pain of not being able to touch and not having any release. It must have been a really strong drug to make me want to come without being touched.

Another few minutes passed by like this and the door finally opened. The man returned. I didn't know what to think. Aikawa said his father hated homos and now he's going to rape me?

But then another man entered the room as well. I've never seen him before. He was tall with short hair and sharp eyes. He looked at me and licked his lips. Oh no. He's just as much of a sadist as that cruel man.

Then Aikawa's father pulled me off of the hook and pushed me down to the floor. I could barely stay on my knees.

"He's all yours, just don't kill him." The man said and turned around to leave.

"And Satonaka!" He said at the door. "Don't ever take that ring off. If he's out of control, you can find some very good drugs in that shelf." He pointed to the shelf he got the drug out and left the room with a dark smile.

The man, Satonaka, came up behind me and knelt. I knew what was coming yet it still made me scream. He thrust into me with a strong, swift movement. It hurt like hell with no preparation.

But at the same time, the pain eased a little. He didn't give me time to adjust as he pulled all the way out and slammed into me again. Since I was too weak to keep myself up, he grabbed my shoulders and pulled me to him still thrusting hard as we knelt on the ground. His pace began to speed up as I felt him getting bigger in me and I wanted to come so badly. The pain was so intense that I hardly noticed when he came inside me.

The only thing I felt was him pulling out and letting me fall to the ground. When I was about to touch myself and try to get that ring off of me, he grabbed my hands, untied them just to tie them together behind my back. Now I had no way of reliving myself and the pain was getting unbearable. The only thing I could do was curl up on the floor.

The man seemed to enjoy this as he grabbed my hair and made me face him. The pain in my cock was even worse than what I felt in my backside by that time.

"You want more, whore?" He asked with a sadistic smile. I felt his hands touching me all over my body. I felt sick but he was right. Even though what he did hurt like hell, it was still better than the pain.

He took a pill from his pocket and swallowed it then I felt him rubbing his dick on my ass. I wanted to get away but at the same time I wanted him to take me. To just… _make the pain go away_.

He turned me on my back and positioned himself at my entrance. After what felt like eternity he slammed into me again.

I felt like my body would break if he continued this. He pounded into me even harder than the first time and for the second time I felt like I would come. But the ring wouldn't let me. By the time he finished and came inside me again I felt like I was going crazy. The pain and pleasure were driving me mad.

He pulled out and let my legs fall to the ground. I could hardly breathe as the pain started to build up again. It was even worse than before. My cock was erect and swollen, ready to burst anytime. But the ring held it in.

"You want more, whore?" He repeated. I didn't have to answer. He could see by himself. But nothing happened. He just looked at me. "If you want something, say it."

I could hardly understand what he was saying let alone think of an answer. "Please…" was the only thing that left my mouth.

"What? You want me to do you?"

I nodded weakly.

"Then beg me!"

"Please… Fuck me… please…" I whispered. All the screaming made me unable to speak. My throat was dry and I needed water so badly.

"You want something to drink, by the way?" He asked, sounded casual as ever.

When I nodded he smiled that cruel smile again and knelt in front of my face. "Suck it if you're so thirsty." I knew that was the only thing I could do. Refusing him would do me no good.

With much effort I turned to him and took his dick into my mouth. At that time I noticed that it was covered by blood. I realized _I_ was bleeding. When he saw my eyes widen, he grabbed my hair and pulled me up, so his cock fell out of my mouth.

"No biting, or else. Understand, whore?" I nodded and he shoved his dick back into my mouth. He didn't give me much time to suck him as he started to thrust in and out of my mouth. He almost gagged me a few times but I had to stop myself from doing anything.

Then he came into my mouth and made me swallow every drop. With a smile he looked at me after pulling himself out and asked. "Are you still thirsty? Do you want some more of this?" I shook my head and fell to the ground again. The pain seemed to lessen a little, but after a minute or two I realized I was wrong.

The pain hit me even harder if that's possible. It was so intense I thought I was going to die. When I looked at him he sneered.

"What? Not enough? What a whore." He scorned and sat down, pulling me onto his lap. "If you want something then do it yourself."

I knew what this was about. They wanted to tame me. They wanted me to long for their touch, and honestly, this man was doing a pretty damn good job. I rose to my shaky knees, positioned myself above his dick, and pushed down.

It felt good and painful at the same time. Now he gave me some time to get used to the feeling. Not much though. After that he told me to move and I did. I moved up and down slowly because I had really little strength left in my legs. When he lost his patience he started pounding into me while I was sitting on him.

I was so numb that I couldn't feel much pain by then. He must have noticed this, because after he came, he left me on the floor and disappeared through the door.

He left the door open, and only my hands were tied. This was my chance to get away, I knew that. But I had no strength left and he was aware of that.

I felt like my cock was about to explode but other than that I was numb. A few minutes later I heard them enter the room but couldn't understand what they were talking about.

One of them rolled me over and finally took off the ring. I came hard while screaming then the world went black. Finally, it was over.

* * *

I woke up and realized I was freezing. I wanted to look around the room to see where I was but it was pitch dark. The only thing I knew was that I was naked and cold. _Very cold_.

I didn't know where I was or how long I've been there. Not to mention that I was hungry, very thirsty, hurting all over as well. For who knows how long, I just laid there in the dark hoping for someone to rescue me.

Then suddenly, the door opened and I couldn't see anything because the light blinded me.

"You're awake. Good." I froze. It was that man again. Aikawa's father.

He pulled me up and took me back to that room. I had little strength to stand and could barely follow him. When we arrived he tied me up and hanged my hand on the hook again.

This time he went to the room next door and came back with a whip.

"No!" I said quietly but he just smirked and it swung down. Once. Twice. And soon I lost count. He whipped me on my back first before going on my legs. After that he stepped in front of me and started using the whip on my stomach.

I screamed in pain. But the loudest screams came out of my mouth when the whip swung against my cock. It was still red and swollen after what happened. And the whip made it worse.

"So you remember what happened yesterday?" he asked between sounds of whipping. It took me a while to register his words.

Yesterday? How much time did I spend in that dark room? Was it a day? When did I get there? And how long is he going to do this to me?

Then the whipping stopped and the man left. I felt relieved until something burning hot touched my back. I screamed. He touched my back with the metal stick he took from the fireplace. No matter how much I struggled to get away he just pressed it into my back.

The pain was too much. I fainted.

* * *

Next thing I knew, I was on the floor in that torture room. My hands were no longer tied and the pain was almost bearable too. When I looked around I saw the man who tortured me sitting on a chair not far from me, eating roasted chicken. I licked my lips and he smirked.

"Want some?" He asked and after seeing me nodding desperately, he threw me the one he was eating. I took it and ate it quickly. When I looked up, waiting for him to give me some more, he kicked me.

He stood and started kicking me even more.

"Let's play a game. I give you more food, then I will hurt you. Do you still want to eat?" He asked and threw a piece of meat on the floor. Without hesitation I picked it up and ate it. When I finished I saw him drop another piece. When I reached for it he stepped on my hand.

I screamed. He put all his weight on it, probably breaking a few of my fingers.

"I told you I'm going to hurt you with every piece you get." He said and put more pressure on my hand. When he lifted his foot, I pulled my hand back and stared at the food. Despite of my extreme hunger, I suddenly lost my appetite.

He just laughed and left the room. When he came back there was a woman with him. She seemed to be a slave too. He pushed her towards me and said. "Do it."

The girl nodded and started touching me. _No! I don't want this_.

When I started struggling, the man came up to me with the bottle he used yesterday and forced the drug down my throat. Fortunately, this time he didn't bring out the ring.

The girl kept touching me until I started to feel hot. The drug had kicked in. Then she climbed on top of me and sat on my cock as I was lying on the ground. Soon she started moving and moaning as she rode me.

I've never been with a girl before. It's always been nasty old men fucking me. I've never done this.

If it wasn't for my broken hand and bruised body I would have enjoyed this. But now my cock ached all over. It was still swollen from yesterday and the whipping didn't help either. But soon I came inside her, making her scream in either agony or pleasure, I couldn't tell. She fell on top of me, panting.

Before she had the time to control her breaths, the man had grabbed her hair and threw her into a cage in the corner. Then he pulled me up and dragged me out of the room. We went down a few corridors and ended up at the door of a really, _really_ small room.

"Enjoy your day in the training room." He laughed darkly before pushing me into the room and locked the door from outside. I felt something piercing my back as I was pushed inside. I wanted to turn around to see what it was but I couldn't. The room was too small to move in. I couldn't even sit down, because I felt something sharp poking me from every angle.

I was standing in the dark room waiting for someone to come get me but nobody appeared. I don't know how long I've been there when my legs gave out. I felt those sharp things piercing my body but I didn't have enough energy to scream.

I stood up again trying to remain conscious. The pain and the hunger made it hard but, somehow, I managed. My legs gave out about four more times before the door opened. As soon as I was out I fell forward to the ground.

"No, no. You're not going to sleep." he scolded before dragging me back to the torture room. As he dragged me on the floor I could see a trail of blood behind me.

Soon we reached the room and I was tied up again on that hook. He came and made me drink some of that drug again. But this time he made me swallow a lot more.

It didn't take much time for the drug to kick in. He barely had time to put a ring on my cock before it was fully erect.

"Satonaka is not available, but this will do." He showed me what was in his hand. I tried to back away when I saw it.

It was a huge vibrator, the biggest one that I've ever seen. I knew I couldn't take that.

"No… please…" I begged but he just laughed.

He came up behind me and I heard him put some lubricant on it and with a swift movement he pushed it in.

I screamed like never before. The feeling of being ripped apart... that thing was way too big. And to make things even worse, just when the pain was starting to be bearable he switched it on at full speed.

I felt blood trickling down my legs as he pushed the thing deeper. My legs were weak, I lost a lot of blood and I was incredibly hungry but I couldn't pass out. That damned drug, that damned thing that made me harder than ever, wouldn't let me.

Not long after, I lost the ability to scream or think. I wanted to come so much that the only thing I could focus on was my erection. Tears welled up in my eyes and ran down my cheeks, words of begging only echoed in my mind, no longer able to be spoken.

After a few minutes that felt like days I heard the door being slammed open but I couldn't even lift my head to look. Then I heard shouting and something breaking but I couldn't care less. The pain and pleasure fully occupied my thoughts.

After that I felt the vibrating stop, making all the tension in my body ease a bit. I groaned in pain as someone started pulling it out slowly, almost tenderly. I groaned again but didn't have the strength to move. When the thing was out I felt the ring being removed, making me able to come. But this time I didn't have any energy left to do more than moaning.

I could hear someone talking to me softly and untying my hands. I slid to the floor. I'd braced myself for the collision with the cold hard floor but it never came. Someone caught me before reaching it. But being held by that someone also hurt.

_I want the pain to stop…_

_Please… someone… help me…_

_Help me…_

_Help…_

* * *

Today is Kuon's and my birthday, so I wanted to upload something today, it just happens that this chapter is kinda… sad (?)

Plus it's the fifth day of the fifth month and this is the fifth chapter.

Hope you enjoyed it

Hermina


	7. Chapter 6

Beta read by Seerstella

Chapter 6

* * *

**KUON'S POV**

I knew there was something wrong the moment I stepped out of the door. But when I came back and Nanao's room was empty, I realized my biggest fear came true. I knew it had to be my father who had taken him.

Running all the way, I arrived at the torture room and what I saw made me lose control. My Nanao was tied up, bruised, naked and barely conscious with my father standing next to him. Without thinking, I ran to him and punched him so hard, he fell to the floor.

Getting near Nanao, I realized he was drugged. He was probably given some aphrodisiac and then they put a ring on him to prevent him from coming. As I was about to take it off, I noticed him shaking and heard a low buzzing sound, then I noticed the blood trickling down his legs.

_A vibrator._

Of course. My father would never touch a man, but he'd be more than happy to torture one. A huge vibrator seemed to be the logical choice.

I stepped behind Nanao and switched it off. Immediately, I felt him relax. After that, I had to pull the damn thing out without causing him more pain. That wasn't easy. Slowly, I tried easing it out and all the blood made it easier to do so. It probably hurt a lot, but the only thing that left Nanao's mouth was a groan.

Next, I had to remove the ring. He was so swollen, that the only thing I could do was to cut it. The moment it loosened, Nanao came hard, but what worried me was the blood in it. That was a really bad sign which meant that something was seriously damaged. He moaned as he came and didn't seem to notice me standing in front of him. My heart clenched as I watched him.

"It's going to be okay. I'll take you to a doctor. You'll be just fine." I kept repeating, in case he understood. But it was also to convince myself.

_I'm scared to death that he won't survive._

He just looked so broken and defeated.

I untied his hands and caught him before slipping to the ground. He was shaking badly. His skin was very pale under the bruises and the blood kept oozing out, dripping from his legs. Picking him up bridal style, I ran back to his room. After putting him on the bed, I pulled out my phone and called the only person that could help me.

After two rings, he answered.

"Yes?"

"Aniki, please come to Nanao's room and bring all of your supplies!"

With a quick 'okay', he hung up and I was left in the room, listening to Nanao's quietly whimpers on the bed. By that time, I was panicking.

_What do I do? What do I do? So much blood!_

After a few minutes that felt like hours, my brother arrived. He knelt down next to the bed and looked at Nanao for a moment before opening his medical kit.

"First, we need to stop the bleeding." He said to me and pulled out gauzes. "Bring in a lot of warm water and towels and a glass of water too." Aniki ordered calmly and started working on Nanao as I stood and left the room.

By the time I was back, the bed was filled with medical stuff and Nanao looked paler than ever. I placed the warm water next to Aniki.

"Here," He gave me some pills. "Make him swallow them." I took the medicine and put them in Nanao's mouth, but it was hard to make him swallow. Eventually, the pills went down and as I looked up, I saw Aniki working on Nanao's lower body. The bleeding almost completely stopped and soon I noticed that Nanao was no longer shaking.

I couldn't do much to help, so I just sat on the bed and took Nanao's hand, softly massaging it. I couldn't look at him. I was so scared he'd die.

For a long time I just sat there as Aniki attended to him, but after about an hour or two, he sighed and looked at me with a tired smile. All of Nanao's injuries were bandaged nicely.

"He's going to be fine," he said, but the smile soon disappeared from his face. "But… his lower body was badly damaged. He'll probably have trouble urinating for a while and he's probably going to be impotent. I'll try giving him a medicine that he'll have to take for about a month. If there's no improvement by then, then there's nothing we can do."

"Also, he might throw up, so no solid food for a week, and his rectum is badly damaged and can start bleeding anytime, so check it very often in the next couple of days. I'll leave some painkillers you can give him. But these are very strong ones, so you have to wait at least 12 hours before giving him another one. And they are highly addictive, so he can only take them for a week. It seems that only one of his fingers broke so I put a finger brace on it, but his hand had to be bandaged just in case."

"Thank you, Aniki."

With that, he left me alone with Nanao. As I looked at him, I noticed that he was starting to shiver again, this time from the cold, so I put a blanket on him. Since there was nothing for me to do, I just sat back on the bed and held his hand.

We stayed that way until the next morning. I felt emotionally exhausted, but couldn't get any sleep, so I just stared at him all night long, hoping that he'd recover both physically and emotionally.

_I should've never left him alone._

The only thing that bothered me was why Towa didn't contact me to say anything. He should have seen that the room was empty when he came with the food.

Nanao didn't move all night, but his temperature rose. I sat there, wiping his sweaty body with a wet towel. I spent the rest of the time holding his hand, praying for him to get better.

* * *

The next morning Nanao suddenly opened his eyes. He looked up, but didn't seem to know where he was, or what has happened to him.

"I have to get out of here." He murmured.

"Nanao, are you…" I tried asking him, but he just continued.

"I want to go out… enjoy the sun… smell the flowers… run… go out… sun…" he kept on muttering these words over and over for fifteen minutes then he stopped, closed his eyes and was unconscious again.

I changed the bandages and made him swallow some pills. It was even harder than the first time, but I, somehow, managed.

Later that day, Towa appeared at the door. He looked at Nanao for a moment and then spoke with that innocent look on his eyes.

"What happened to him?"

"Why didn't you tell me he was missing?" I could barely hide my anger, but I wasn't sure who it was directed at. Towa? Me? Or my father?

"He was missing?"

"Yes. You didn't notice he wasn't here when you brought him food?" I asked, trying to be patient. You should have the patience of a saint if Towa is concerned.

"Father told me he'd take care of him."

Oh, man. He didn't know how much of a sadist our father was. Towa only saw the strict father, not the monster in him. I was afraid I'd explode and vent my anger on him, so I asked him to leave, and was again left alone with Nanao.

He seemed so fragile, young, broken and still so beautiful. How could someone hurt a beautiful person like him?!

_I'll kill him! I'll kill my father!_

I desperately needed something to do before I went crazy, but I couldn't leave Nanao alone. From time to time, he whimpered and shivered, and I couldn't tell if it was because of nightmares or pain or fever. I wanted to hold him, take him in my arms and rock him, telling him words of comfort, but I didn't dare touch him in fear of causing him any more pain.

"No… don't… please…" I was brought out of my misery by Nanao's quiet pleading. He started trashing around, trying to keep someone away. I had to stop him before he hurt himself, but it wasn't easy. As soon as I touched him, he started to back away and trash around even more.

"It's okay. It's me." I tried calming him down, but he just kept repeating that sad plea.

"Please… don't… hurts… no…"

"It's me. I'm not going to hurt you."

I had to calm him down, but it wasn't working. When I noticed the red stains on his bandages, I decided to take action. I leaned closer and held him down while whispering into his ears. "Shhh… it's okay. I'm here. You're safe now."

After a few minutes, he finally started to calm down. I sighed in relief when he settled back down and I had the chance to look at his injuries. One of the cuts on his upper body reopened and was bleeding. After attending to it, I gave him more pills and sat back on the bed.

This time, I couldn't keep my hands from touching him, and I soon found my fingers running through his silky hair. He didn't move at all, so I kept my hand there, while the other was holding his hand.

He never stay awake long enough to let me feed him, so I asked my brother to do something about it. He was clearly starved, and it didn't help that I couldn't get anything in his stomach. Aniki arrived and we had to use intravenous feeding and tie his hand down, so he wouldn't yank the IV out.

The sight made my heart clench. I wanted to run away, to not see him like this, but at the same time, I wanted to stay by his side, hold his hand in case he woke up.

I knew I probably lost the smiling Nanao I loved so much. He's probably never going to smile and let me kiss him again. My father was a cruel man and if anyone could break my Nanao, that would be him.

And looking at Nanao begging in his sleep, I could tell that my father had done a good job in that.

* * *

The next day I woke up to Nanao murmuring things. I didn't even notice when I fell asleep, but I was sitting next to the bed, holding his hand. When I looked up, I noticed Nanao looking at me, but not really seeing me as he kept on repeating the same words from yesterday.

"I have to get out of here. I want to go out…"

"I'll take you out when you're feeling better." I reassured, hoping he'd understand me.

"I want to go _now_, Mom…" He seemed to understand what I was saying, but didn't know who I was. "I want to play with Nee-chan and Mikado." He kept on begging like a child.

I couldn't say no to him. The look in his eyes made me unable to look away. He acted and sounded like a small child, and I wanted him to feel at least a bit better.

"You have to sleep now, but when you wake up, I'll take you out."

A hopeful expression I've never seen before appeared on his face accompanied with a small, grateful smile.

"Promise?" He asked, and I found myself unable to refuse.

"Promise."

He smiled and nodded once before his eyes closed again. I slumped back and let my head rest on the edge of the bed, next to his.

_Please get better soon!_

I kept repeating in my head as I felt frustrated tears clouding my vision, but didn't let them run down my face.

I couldn't cry now.

I never cried, and now, I had to be calm and patient. Nanao needed me now more than ever.

I wished I could take him away from here. Take him back to his family. To his 'Nee-chan and Mikado'… But my father would find us, and Nanao would be in trouble then. I could imagine my father killing him for running away and I didn't want that to happen.

There was no place in this world we could hide in. He was a powerful man. He always got what he wanted.

And he never let any of the slaves free.

* * *

Later that day, I started to think about how to approach Nanao once he regained consciousness. He most probably will be scared and in pain, but I didn't know what to say. I've never been in a situation like this before. I've never had to think about how to keep someone from hurting himself.

As that thought appeared, I suddenly was scared of the future.

_What if Nanao tries to hurt himself?_

I couldn't let that happen. I removed everything he could use to inflict pain on himself from the room, but I knew that didn't help much. If someone wanted to commit suicide, he could always find a way to do so.

As I was looking around the room for potentially dangerous object, I heard movement from the bed. When I turned back, I saw Nanao looking at me and whispering in a weak voice.

"Aikawa…"

My eyes widened, for this was the first time he recognized me, but I wasn't sure if he was fully conscious yet. I wanted to lean closer, to take his hand, but my body wouldn't cooperate. I was frozen a few inches from Nanao, trying to come up with something to say, or do, but I couldn't. I just looked at him, my mouth half open as he stared at me.

There were no emotions in his eyes or in his voice. I was sure he didn't know what happened, or he was damaged beyond repair. His soulless eyes scared me, but I knew I had to be strong and calm, for that was the only way I could help him.

I willed myself to move closer and say something.

"Nanao. Are you…"

My question was stopped by the look he gave me. Tears appeared in his beautiful blue eyes and he tried reaching out for me as his lips quivered.

"Aikawa… Aikawa… Aikawa…"

It was heartbreaking to see him like that. The way he kept repeating my name and reaching out for me made me want to take all his pain away and hug him close, but all I could do was staring at him. I was about to say something to comfort him, to tell him I'd never let anything happen to him again… but, before I had a chance to open my mouth, he spoke again.

"I'm sorry…"


	8. Chapter 7

Beta read by Seerstella

**Chapter 7**

* * *

"I'm sorry…" He whispered.

"Nanao-san, why are you apologizing?" I tried asking him, but he didn't listen. The tears finally spilled and ran down his face. With his hand, that was tied to the bed, trying to reach out for me, while crying and repeating the same thing over and over and over again, it was a very heartbreaking sight.

I was torn between hugging him close while whispering comforting things to him and running out of the room, so I wouldn't hear or see him suffer.

"I'm sorry… Aikawa… I'm sorry…"

"You did nothing wrong, Nanao…" I whispered more to myself than to him. "I'm to one who should apologize for leaving you alone… with him."

He kept repeating, making my heart ache. My strong, beautiful Nanao was begging for forgiveness, even though he didn't do anything wrong.

_How could this happen? Why would Father do this?_

He gave me a month to train Nanao, and it wasn't over yet. Or was it? Even if it was, shouldn't he have asked me about him before doing anything? Nanao was mine and the rules said that I have to take care of and train him.

Was it because Nanao's not a girl? Was it a punishment for going against him?

Father would never touch a male slave, so why did he…?

I stopped thinking as a memory of days ago played in my mind.

_That man… _

The man I saw my father with. They were talking about a slave… and my father said: _"Do whatever you want as long as it stays alive." _I knew it; finally I knew what they meant.

They were talking about Nanao.

And now, he was barely alive.

Finally breaking out of my panicked thoughts, I moved closer to Nanao and took his tied hand carefully, while the other was trying to brush off his tears, but with no success, as more and more came out. He squeezed my hand as strongly as he could and closed his eyes, but his words never died out.

"I'm sorry… Aikawa…"

"Shhh… shhh, Nanao. It's okay. You don't have to apologize."

_I'll kill them both for doing this to my Nanao!_

"I'm sorry…"

"You have to get better soon," I tried talking to him in case he understood. "Then I'll take you out and you can lie down in the grass, enjoy the sunshine. It's warm outside so you can even swim in the lake."

"Really?" His pained expression changed, giving way to curiosity.

Encouraged by his reaction, I kept on talking. "Yes. There are a lot of flowers in the garden, you can pick some and we can put them in a vase. And you can see the swans in the lake. I'll get something you can feed them with, if you like. We have a lot of animals too. Dogs, horses, cats, even a donkey. You can visit them and I'll teach you how to ride a horse."

He gradually calmed down as I spoke. That glint… that sparkle I loved so much appeared in his eyes as he listened.

"Can I really?" The hope in his voice made my chest tighten.

"Yes. You just have to get better." I tried looking reassuring, but failed miserably. At this point I felt awful for not being a good emotional support.

"I like dogs." He seemed a bit out of it as he talked nonchalantly.

"Hm."

"I want to pet them."

"You will."

He turned his head to the ceiling and sighed. I took that as a sign and asked him.

"Do you think I can untie your hands?" At my question, he looked at his arms and noticed the IV.

"What's this?"

"I couldn't feed you while you were unconscious, so my brother brought this."

He looked at me with surprise evident in his eyes.

"Towa-kun?"

"No. My older one. He's a doctor."

He frowned, apparently trying to remember and looked back up.

"I don't remember."

As I noticed where this conversation was turning to, I made an attempt to change the topic.

"What do you…"

"How did I get out of there?"

He interrupted and by his tone I could tell that he was not going to let this go. His gaze was fixed on the ceiling and I noticed his hands were clenching the bed sheet tightly.

I remembered to remove the restraints from his hands before answering. As I leaned over him to untie his other hand too, I felt him freeze while he's breathing quickened. I tried being as quick as possible and moved out of his personal zone.

When I sat back down, I saw him relax a little. He started moving his arms and legs a bit and suddenly, his eyes widened.

"The cuff's off."

"I really don't think there's a chance of you getting away in your condition." I said with a bitter expression.

"Why?" He looked at me while trying to move his body, but as soon as he moved, a sharp gasp left his mouth and he screwed his eyes shut.

"_That's _why." I said while trying to hold him down before he reopened his wounds. "You don't feel much pain, because I've given you painkillers. But don't move too much."

He nodded and lifted his hands up. The finger brace caught his attention and he shivered, probably remembering what happened. His wrists were bruised and there were a few cuts on his upper arms, but other than that, his arms weren't badly hurt.

I took his hands gently and placed them on the bed. He looked at me seriously for a moment, but turned back to the ceiling as he started to speak again.

"You didn't answer my question."

"As in?"

"How did I get out?"

My hope of avoiding this topic for a while was crushed by his words. I had no choice but to oblige and answer.

"When I came back and noticed you were missing, I knew something was wrong, so I went to look for my father. When the maid told me that he went to the other wing, I knew he took you. When I saw you there… I lost it. I think I knocked him out… I don't really remember. I was too preoccupied by getting you out of there."

For a while, he didn't say anything, just closed his eyes. Minutes went by silently and just as I thought he had fallen asleep, Nanao started speaking again.

"Why did he…?" He whispered so softly I couldn't hear the end of the sentence, but I knew what he meant.

"I'm sorry, Nanao. I don't have an answer to that other than… he's always been like this. I think he enjoys watching others suffer."

"But why me? I'm yours…" he suddenly stopped and looked at me wearily. His whole body tensed up, but I didn't understand what made him upset. Maybe the fact that he admitted to being my slave, maybe not… I couldn't tell.

"You're mine." With that, something else came to mind. "Why were you apologizing?" I asked, surprising him.

"When?"

"When you first came to. You kept saying that you were sorry."

"Oh!" His expression turned thoughtful and for a while he said nothing. Just when I was about to drop the subject, he muttered his answer, but I could hear it clearly. "I felt like I did something wrong by letting him do those things to me and…"

"And?" In one of Nanao's psychology books it was written that talking about traumatizing things helps the person heal, so I tried to make him continue.

"I begged," came the quiet reply.

He had no expression on his face, but somehow, his whole body seemed to show how much he was suffering. Not to mention how his sudden change surprised me. We've talked about his previous masters, and what they did to him, and even though he never said much, I knew he had suffered a lot. However, he seemed unaffected by those things, unlike now. I could never tell if he was used to all the violence and rape, or realized that it was easier to obey and bear with it, or simply didn't know better.

_Then why is he so shaken now?_

My chest tightened just looking at him, so I had to say something to make him feel better.

"Nanao. They did horrible things to you. It's not a shame to beg th…"

"I _begged_ him to do me," he interrupted me with his eyes closed tightly.

_That's it. That's the reason._

He never succumbed to his previous owners. That was why they always took him back to the shop. He was wild, and couldn't be tamed.

But now…

Now my father and that other man managed to break his strong will. Up until now, Nanao was just a prisoner, a boy who was kidnapped and held captive for years… now they managed to turn him into a slave… A slave who begs for food and water, and gives his master whatever he wants. A slave who gives himself to his owner when he is ordered to.

Trying to reassure him, that all was not lost, and that I won't let something like this happen again, I prepared a good argument in my head.

"Nanao, you…" Somehow, it felt like he wasn't talking to me. He probably forgot about me being here. Or maybe he knew, just didn't want me there…

"I betrayed myself and you," he interrupted, his voice oddly louder than before.

His declaration surprised me, but somewhere deep down, that sentence made me happy. He didn't think of me as his master or captor, because then he wouldn't have felt like that.

I couldn't bear his silent suffering anymore, so I decided to take action.

I leaned over him to get his attention. This method seemed to work, as I noticed him flinch and shift his gaze to me.

"Listen!" My voice was commanding; a tone I've never used when talking to him, but I had to make him understand. "Nanao, you did what you had to do to survive. If you were to resist, they might have killed you. The only thing that matters is that you're alive and out of that hell."

"But I was…"

"I don't want you to speak ill of yourself. You have very little self-confidence, but trust me, you're…"

"I'm just a slave," he interrupted me again.

"That doesn't mean you can't be important to me." I tried being reassuring, but emotions were never my thing.

"How can I be important after all this? I've had sex with so many men, and I…"

"You were forced."

"You're really kind," he said softly, looking away. "You're so nice to someone as detestable as me."

"That's not true."

Silence was his only reply. For a while, he didn't move at all, but then suddenly he turned his head and clenched his teeth.

"What's wrong?" I asked, worried about his sudden change.

"Hurts," was all he said.

I looked at my watch and noticed that it was time to give him the next dose of painkillers and the other medicine my brother had left here.

I stood up and went to the sink with the glass that was near Nanao's bed. After filling it with cold water, I went back to the bed and took the bottle of pills from my pocket.

As soon as he heard the noise of the pills, Nanao looked at me fearfully. I took the pills and helped him into a sitting position. He was obviously in pain, but didn't say a word until I took the pills close to his mouth.

"What are those?" he asked cautiously.

"Painkillers and medicine." He regarded them a bit longer, but soon opened his mouth.

I helped him gulp down some water with the pills then helped him back to his previous lying position. He closed his eyes, probably still in pain, and started to relax.

_He really is strong. Maybe my father didn't manage to break him, after all._

"Thank you," I said to break the silence and help him shift his focus from the pain.

"What?" he asked as he opened one eye.

"You trusted me with the pills." I said and his other eye opened in surprise. He looked at me seriously and whispered.

"I know you won't hurt me." He blinked a few times, fatigue appearing in his features. "I'm tired."

"The medicine is kicking in." I pulled up the covers and tucked him in. As I was about to stand up and leave, he grabbed my hand. When I turned back, I saw a hopeful expression on his face as he asked me.

"Stay?"

Without a word, I took his hand and sat back. He smiled at me tiredly, squeezed my hand and closed his eyes. Within a moment, he was sleeping peacefully, never letting go of my hand.

_Always, Nanao… always..._


	9. Chapter 8

Beta read by Seerstella

**IMPORTANT NOTE** from my dear beta-reader:

_'Hullo! This is Seer, the beta-reader, and let me warn you: this chapter's pretty depressing, just like MnK did to us.'_

**Chapter 8**

* * *

**Nanao's POV**

I noticed two things when I woke up. First, the cuff was back on my wrist, and second, Aikawa was sleeping next to me in a - probably - very uncomfortable position. His head was rested on the bed, next to mine, but he was sitting on the floor.

Unconsciously, I reached out to touch his hair.

_It feels nice._

I smiled, but the moment I realized what happened, I pulled my hand back. The feelings this small touch ignited in me were scary. It made me wanting him, craving for more. It made me want to stay like this… and at the same time I wanted him to open his eyes and look at me with a small smile, even though I only saw him smile once.

But touching him; and wanting those things felt wrong.

_I have no right to touch him._

Aikawa was my master and I was a slave he had bought… and that meant that I could never have an emotional attachment to him.

_I shouldn't have it from the start._

But even if that was allowed, I wasn't the right person to love him… _to be loved_ by him. He deserved someone beautiful, pure, kind and intelligent.

And me… I was dirty and broken. I had been used by many men. And now, I even had _begged_ to be used.

_I'm despicable. I'm dirty._

That thought alone was enough to make me remember what happened, and strangely, the memories came along with the pain. Right that moment, my body also began to remember what happened, as my lower part started aching.

Not wanting to wake Aikawa, I clenched my hands and gritted my teeth, not letting a sound escape my lips.

For who knew how long, I endured the pain without a sound, but soon I felt sweat running down my face. However, my resolve to now disturb Aikawa's dream was stronger. He probably had stayed awake by my side while I was unconscious… and I was sure I was out for days.

_I've felt so much worse before… I can get through this._

I tried moving a bit to ease the pain, but that turned out to be a bad idea, as even more pain appeared, probably thanks to the injuries on my back.

A small gasp left my mouth and I started shaking. A moment later, I felt Aikawa move. He opened his eyes and looked at me. When he saw that I was in pain, he immediately stood and went to the sink with a glass. When he came back, he helped me swallow the medicines and soon the pain disappeared.

"Why didn't you wake me?" he questioned. "You were in pain."

"It was bearable." I said, not wanting to tell him the real reason.

"We have painkillers. Don't try to endure." His voice was low and filled with understanding.

I didn't say anything, just nodded. The painkillers made me sleepy, but I just woke up, so I fought the darkness.

Aikawa seemed to notice as he said quietly. "You should sleep."

"I just woke up."

"You heal faster in your sleep," he insisted.

I nodded, giving up, and closed my eyes. Before I knew it, I was consumed by the darkness.

* * *

The next time I woke up, I heard someone talking. Someone was in the room with Aikawa. My instincts kicked in, and my eyes opened, looking around, trying to find the source of the voices. However, I was still half asleep and could only see blurry shapes. And the fact that they stopped talking didn't help either.

"Nanao. Are you in pain?" I recognized Aikawa's voice and shook my head.

Soon my eyes got used to the light and I noticed the man standing next to Aikawa. He was wearing a white coat and had a bag in his hands.

I tried backing away from him, not stopping when my whole body protested and pain flared up everywhere, but soon, my back hit the wall.

Aikawa stepped closer and started in a calm voice. "He's my brother, Nagahisa. He'll make you get better.."

Fear gripped in my insides and I couldn't say a word. I knew they had no ill intentions, but I couldn't get my heart to slow down. They seemed to notice my discomfort and soon the man called Nagahisa left the room.

As soon as he was out the door, I relaxed. Aikawa looked at me one more time, but I couldn't read his expression, then he left as well.

I was left alone to wonder about the strange look he had on as he looked at me. He seemed… distant. It wasn't the usual stoic face, but something darker. Maybe he was still mad about what happened. Or his brother had told him something.

I didn't have much time to think, as the door opened and Aikawa appeared with a plate. He helped me sit up and gave me the food. Only then did I realize that the IV had disappeared. He noticed me looking at my arm and said.

"You can eat now. And the medicine is working. You're going to be fine."

I knew he gave me medicine, but he never told me what it was for. And somehow, I wasn't sure it was the usual painkillers. "What medicine?"

"Aniki gave it to you so you won't become…" he seemed to hesitate for a moment, but shook his head and finished the sentence. "…impotent."

"What?" I felt my breathing quicken and the fork shook in my hand.

_Impotent? _

I didn't understand my own reaction. Why was I panicking? I've never enjoyed sex, so it didn't really matter if I was impotent or not.

Or at least that was what I thought before falling for Aikawa. Now, I wanted to enjoy it, even though the thought of having sex scared me. I'd never done it willingly, so I wasn't sure how it really felt, but it must be good… otherwise why would people do it…

"You'll be fine," he repeated, not knowing what I was thinking about. "…soon."

That strange expression appeared on his face again, and he left the room.

* * *

The next few days went by like this. He brought me food and left. Sometimes he took a look at my injuries, but he never stayed with me.

With the constant care I got from both Aikawa and his brother, my health improved quickly. In a few days, though I couldn't be sure about how much time had passed due to the lack of windows and clocks, I was able to get out of bed and walk around in the room without help.

A few scars remained on my body, but that couldn't be helped… and I've already had some, so it didn't bother me much. However, Aikawa seemed to wear that strange expression every time he saw them, so I hid them from him as best as I could. The lack of shirt made it harder.

Since the incident with his father, I was only wearing trousers, with nothing on my upper body. It was more convenient considering how many times they had to change the bandages on my injuries. On the other hand, I was cold at night even when I had a shirt on. The blanket I get from Aikawa disappeared while I was unconscious.

I found some shirts in the dresser, but with the chain attached to my wrist, it was impossible to put on, so mostly I just wrapped it around myself. This way I could keep Aikawa from seeing the scars on my body and keep myself warmer throughout the night.

* * *

The days went by quickly, and the only way for me to count them was by watching Aikawa and the meals he brought.

Another week passed, and he was still avoiding me for some reason. Every time I asked a question, he gave me a short answer and left. No matter how many times I tried starting a conversation with him, he shut me down and went back to his room.

_Is he disgusted with me?_

This question appeared in my mind and no matter what I did, it wouldn't leave. After all, he always stayed with me… we chatted, ate, and read together. But now, he didn't even stay until I finished eating. He came back later and took the plates, not spending more than a few minutes with me a day.

Once I tried to touch him as he took my plate and he snatched his hand away as if my touch was burning him.

_Yes, he is._

My mood then turned gloomy, and soon I gave up on trying to talk to him. With that, the days became even more boring.

I had nothing more to do but sleep and think. He took the books and there was nothing else to keep me occupied.

* * *

One day, however, I remembered something. I didn't know if it was a dream or not, so I decided to figure that out first. That day, when Aikawa brought me food, I stopped him before he could leave with a question.

"When will you take me outside?"

He froze at the door, but didn't turn back as he answered.

"Soon," was the only thing he said before disappearing through the door.

_So it wasn't a dream…_

His promise kept me going for a while. With the thought of finally seeing the sun, it was easier to go through each passing minute… for I was no longer counting the days. Each day became so long that it was easier to watch the minutes go by.

However, the days became so boring, that even the thought of soon getting out of this hole had become just a distant, unforeseeable future… and he never said when that 'soon' was going to be.

So the only thing I could do was to think. Somehow my thoughts turned to my long lost family. I think I dreamt about them while I was unconscious. Before I knew it, tears were streaming down my face and I couldn't hide my sobbing.

_Thank God, there's no one here to see me._

However, I soon realized that wasn't such a good thing… I wanted to be held by someone. I needed someone to tell me that everything was going to be fine, and someday… someday I'll be able to see them again.

But there was no one with me… and it seemed like I was never going to get out of this prison. That man, Aikawa's father, would rather kill me than set me free… and there was no other way. I tried getting out of here so many times, but nothing helped. Even Aikawa.

_Maybe I should just get used to the idea of spending the rest of my life locked in a basement…_

That idea scared me… but even scarier was the fact, that up until Aikawa started avoiding me, I didn't really mind being locked up. I enjoyed the time we spent together and that made me not want to escape.

Even though I tried escaping, it never really made me feel disappointed and sad when my attempts failed.

I wanted to get to know him better… do things together.

Thinking about the times I've spent with Aikawa and how I'm not going to be able to do the things we did before anymore, made the tears appear in my eyes again.

I felt broken… but this time it wasn't my body, but it was my heart that broke.

I knew I loved him. No doubt about that. But he… he was disgusted with me.

I needed him, like I needed oxygen to live… but he never stayed with me more than necessary.

I wanted to see his eyes that made me forget everything… but he rarely look at me.

I wanted to hear his low voice that never failed to calm me… but he barely spoke to me.

I wanted to touch him and have him touch me… but he pushed away from my touch.

I wanted him to kiss me… but he never did.

I wanted him to say 'I love you'… but he… he didn't feel that way about me.

So why? Why did I have to fall in love with him? With someone who thought of me as a pet. With someone who wanted nothing more than pleasure from me. With someone who would never love me back.

To him, I was just… I wasn't even sure about what I was to him. We never slept together. He only kissed me… and I knew he wanted to do other things too, but he was too nice to force me… and he waited patiently.

His kisses, the way he touched my face, my arms made me lose my mind. The way he held me when we kissed put me on cloud nine… but now I was falling.

Falling from the clouds to the hard, cold floor of this basement room because I remembered something. Something his father had said.

"_Oh, you mean that you're 'playing nice' to earn its trust?"_

Yes, that was what he was doing. He wanted to make me feel comfortable and safe so I would willingly give him what he wanted. He wanted to gain my trust and love so that I would let him do me. That way, he could keep the promise he made with me, but still get me.

_What do I do now?_

I was angry because I let him trick me… even though something like this had happened to me not too long ago. My last owner did something similar… but still, I fell for it.

I was furious with him and his way of 'training me'.

_Even _he_ thinks of me as an animal._

Was I that easy to manipulate? Did I only need a few nice words, and some nice gestures to throw myself at someone? Or was it because he was young and handsome?

Why did I think that he was different? That he was actually kind? Why didn't I suspect him? This was the first time I trusted someone without a reason.

From the moment he said sorry as he held me close so I wouldn't run away… I let my guard down. Even though I swore never to do that.

Even though I swore never to succumb and be a slave… I became a slave to the desire to be his… to have him only look at me.

_But then what made him change?_

He didn't get me yet. He shouldn't have stopped acting nice. So why? Why did he stop 'training me'? Did he realize that he won? That I would let him do whatever he wanted? That I fell for him? Or was it something else?

_Does he hate me now?_

Now that I bowed down to someone else? Now that I begged that man to do me? I wasn't worthy of him anymore?

My train of thoughts was abruptly stopped when Aikawa came with my dinner – or maybe lunch, I couldn't care less – and I couldn't stop myself.

"When will you take me outside?" I really wanted to leave this place.

"Soon," he didn't look at me as he answered.

I knew he was about to leave, but I needed an answer. Something. I wanted him to at least look at me once. When he was about to close the door I talked to him again and that made him look at me.

"That's what you said last time." I desperately needed a break from this dark and cold hole.

"And that's exactly what I meant," his eyes were cold, just like his tone. I'd never seen him like that.

Maybe I shouldn't have made him look at me. It was better not knowing what he actually though of me. But now it was too late, because this time, I could clearly see the emotions he was hiding all this time.

He looked at me like I was dirt on the freshly cleaned furniture. It seemed that talking to me and looking at me made him feel sick.

But in his eyes I saw something scary. His eyes seemed to tell me not to talk or else… I just couldn't figure out what he would do to me, if I continued.

And I had no intention to. I wasn't crazy enough to willingly get myself into trouble.

However, something became clear as I looked into his eyes. He didn't hate me. That wasn't what I saw in those brown eyes.

_No._

It was something else. Something that made me feel even worse. Something I never wanted to see in his eyes.

_He detests me…_


	10. Chapter 9

Beta read by Seerstella

**Chapter 9**

* * *

**Kuon's POV**

After Nanao gave in to the medicine and fell asleep I went up to vent my anger on the source of it.

I found my father sitting in the living room, reading the newspaper like nothing had happened. The only thing that was out of place was a bruise under his left eye.

The bruise that I gave him… and I so wanted to make a new one under his other eye too. He had the galls to hurt Nanao… MY Nanao.

I felt my hands shaking as I regarded his stoic form. It was like he was daring me to hit him again… but I knew what he was playing at.

So I had to stop for a moment to calm down a bit, because I knew if I did something, he would punish Nanao for it. My Nanao would be the one suffering.

He didn't look up from whatever he was reading, not until I stopped right in front of him. Even then, his expression was so smug the urge to hit him rose again.

I took a deep breath and looked straight to his eyes.

"Why?"

"Why what?" he asked with feigned ignorance.

"Why did you hurt Nanao?" I tried keeping my voice steady.

"Nanao? Who…?" Suddenly a cruel smile appeared on his face. "You mean that 'thing'? I only taught him a lesson."

"He's mine. I told you not to touch him." I heard my own voice getting colder and harder.

"Why would I touch that dirty slut?" I could see that even the accusation made him sick. "He's undisciplined. Your methods aren't good enough."

"I told you I have a different approach."

"Yes. And it's not working."

"It is."

"Oh, so you slept with him?" His expression clearly showed that he knew the answer, and he didn't wait for me to say anything. "My friend wanted to play a bit, so I let him. What's the harm in that?"

"Harm?" I took a step back to stop myself before I started strangling my father, but I continued coldly. "He was half dead when I found him in your torturing room."

"I told you. He needed to be taught a lesson," his voice turned equally cold.

"What kind of lesson?"

"He needs to know his place." The look in his eyes almost made me shiver. Now, he was the monster everyone thought him to be. Now, he was the bastard who'd kill those who disobeyed him. "It's your fault," he continued with an evil grin on his face. "You made him believe that he can do whatever he wanted."

"I…" When I wanted to disagree he interrupted.

"Your little 'lover game' got him into this."

I felt my heart sink when I realized what he implied. Even though he knew that I understood, he continued.

"That _thing_ is not your lover, but only a slave. If you make him believe otherwise, I have to take matters into my own hands."

"He's not my lover," was my only retort. I had to make him forget Nanao. I had to turn his attention somewhere else.

"You're not the only one who can use the camera in that room."

My blood went cold. The camera… why didn't I think about that? All the cameras could be accessed from the security room. And that meant…

_He knows!_

He knew I had feelings for Nanao. He saw what happened between us. He saw us kissing, reading, and talking. He knew I wasn't behaving the way a master should.

"Maybe now _he_ knows what he has to do," he added with a dark smile.

"What did you say to him?" Something was wrong. He said something. He wants Nanao to do something.

"Hm."

After that he turned back to his reading and never looked back at me or said anything. I knew there was no reason for me to try talking to him anymore. He was not going to say anything else.

* * *

Going back to Nanao's room, I found Aniki there. He was removing the IV and checking Nanao's injuries.

"Aniki," I said to get this attention.

He looked at me seriously, taking out gauzes and gels to change the bandages. The only acknowledgement I got was a nod, as he proceeded to treat Nanao.

For I while I just stood there, watching him work. Nanao's injuries seemed to be getting better; however, a few angry scars remained.

Aniki noticed me watching and said softly, "Not all the scars will heal completely."

I knew what he meant. Some of the scars were so deep it was a miracle he survived. The burnt marks on his back were angry red, probably causing Nanao a great deal of pain.

"He's still burning up, but that will be over soon," Aniki started his diagnosis. "Nothing's infected, luckily. He has to drink a lot of water to make up for the lost fluid. And the medicine seems to be working. The blood disappeared from his urine too."

"You mean he's not going to be impotent?"

"Yes. But he needs time to heal. Let him rest and don't give him solid food. His rectum was badly damaged and it will take a lot of time to heal."

I nodded and he turned back to Nanao. As he took off the finger brace to take a look at his broken finger I remembered something.

Turning around, I reached out and wrenched the camera that was recording everything that happened in this room, leaving two cables behind. Opening the door, I threw the damn thing into the corridor and went back to Nanao's side.

"You know why he did this, right?" Aniki suddenly asked, and before I could say anything, he answered his own question. "He wants to punish _you_. You spend too much time with him. You speak fondly of him."

Every word he said was true. I knew he was right… but that didn't ease the pain I felt.

_What should I do?_

Nanao's important to me, but because of that he is in danger. However, if I left him alone, he would be sad and lonely.

_I don't want that._

He was scared and alone when he needed me the most. But I couldn't promise him that this would never happen again. As long as he was here and my father was nearby, this incident could repeat itself, and I wasn't confident enough that I could stop it.

"What are you going to do?" I looked at Aniki as he asked that. I had no answer.

"First, he needs to get better." Aniki, again, answered his own question.

Suddenly, I heard something. We both stopped talking and I turned to Nanao to see him looking around frantically. It was obvious that he was not fully awake yet, but probably heard us and became scared.

As I stepped closer to calm him, he tried to focus on me.

"Nanao. Are you in pain?"

He shook his head, but the fear didn't leave his eyes as he started backing away from us.

Knowing how wary he was with strangers, I went closer and introduced my brother. However, his breathing quickened and his eyes remained wide. Looking at his hands I saw him gripping the sheets tightly.

_He's scared of us._

I looked at my brother to ask him to leave, but it wasn't necessary. As I turned to him I saw him smiling sadly as he made his way towards the door. With a sigh, I turned back to Nanao. He relaxed a bit, but the fear was still shown in his eyes.

I didn't know what to do. He always trusted me, no matter who came into the room with me. However, now, even though we were alone, he seemed scared.

Deciding that giving him space was the best option, I left the room quietly.

As I mounted the stairs, I thought about what to do. Maybe the best option was to leave him alone for a while. That way, my father could forget about him and Nanao could relax a bit. It was probably hard for him to be near me right now.

I couldn't even imagine what happened in the days I was away, even though his injuries told me more than I wanted to know.

When I reached the living room, I noticed that my father was no longer there. Instead, my brother was waiting for me.

"Give him some time," he said with a serious expression. "He seems to be in a fragile state. If you do something wrong now, you can cause more harm than good."

"He lost his trust in me," I admitted quietly.

"He's just shaken. He'll g…"

"No." I didn't want to explain. I didn't want him to know that I failed Nanao, even though I said I wouldn't.

"Take care of him." With a sad expression he looked out the window and added. "Don't let the same thing happen to him. I don't want him to end up like Kae."

_Kae. Aniki's slave._

"I won't let that happen! Never!" Thinking about that girl and what happened to her made me uneasy.

_No. I'd rather kill my father than let him do that to Nanao._

With the bad memories swirling inside my head, I made my way into the kitchen to get something for Nanao. When I went back and helped him eat, he asked about the medicine. I was surprised it took him this long to ask, but I didn't want to hide anything, so I answered.

"Aniki gave it to you so you won't become…impotent."

I saw him panicking. Eyes widening, breathing quickening, hand shaking he looked down, but I could still see his expression.

He was scared… he probably didn't know how serious his injuries were until now.

_I should stay away from him._

It was my fault. Everything was my fault.

He got into this house because I wanted him. He was locked in this dark basement because I didn't want to let him go. He was beaten and tortured because… because I thought of him as more than a slave. And he almost became impotent because I was too scared to lose his heart and didn't do what I had to do to keep my father away.

The only thing I had to do was make him mine, even if I had to use force, but I couldn't. He was very dear to me… and doing that would have caused him to not trust me at all.

I wanted to see his smile. I wanted him to smile at me… and so, I couldn't sacrifice that smile.

_Maybe I should have… _

"You'll be fine… soon," was all I could squeeze out as I left the room.

I had to get away from him. I felt miserably. I promised myself that I would protect him… that I would never let anything happen to him… and I failed.

He probably hated me now, and was just too scared to show it openly… and I didn't blame him.

As his owner, I had the responsibility to keep him safe… and I wasn't here when he needed me the most.

_For his sake… I should stay away from him._

* * *

I tried keeping myself from touching him as much as possible. Every time I went to his room I spent only the necessary time there and left as soon as I could. Without a word, I gave him food, checked his injuries, changed his bandages, and cleaned him.

I didn't say anything, and he didn't talk much either. He probably felt better with me not in the room, so I gave him as much space as possible.

Soon, he was able to stand on his own, even walk a little. The injuries healed nicely, and I could reduce the time spent in awkward silence in his room.

However, as my brother said, not all of his scars disappeared. Every time I looked at them I remembered that I failed to protect what was important to me…. _Nanao_.

He probably noticed my discomfort, as one morning I found him wrapped in a shirt, waiting for me. From then on, he always had that shirt on to cover up his scars.

I knew he meant well, but that only made me sad and angry.

I was angry that _he_ had to think of me. That _he_ had to be considerate.

He didn't want to make me feel bad, even though I deserved it.

* * *

A few times Nanao tried talking to me, but soon gave up. I always answered his questions, but the atmosphere never seemed to be the way it was before.

The more time passed, the harder it was to be near him. Looking at him made me feel desperate.

Yeah, desperate and hopeless, because I didn't know what to do. I wanted to beat someone up so badly. Preferably my father. I wanted him to feel the same pain that Nanao felt.

At the same time, I wanted to be with Nanao, hug him, kiss him, but I knew I had no right to do that.

I was torn between turning into what my father wanted me to be, and running away with Nanao. But I knew that both of these were crazy, senseless thoughts.

I could never hurt anyone. I couldn't even get revenge and beat my father. Let alone hurt Nanao and force him to…

_Never._

And running away… that was not an option. Where could we go? My father would find us, and I didn't even want to think about what he'd do to Nanao then.

So I did what I could.

I stayed away.

I gave Nanao food, but never waited for him to finish. I went back to get the plates and left without a word.

Our conversations were very limited. It always consisted of Nanao asking some simple questions and me answering briefly.

One time, when I took his plate, he touched my hand. That small gesture surprised me so much I jumped away from him.

He looked shocked for a moment, but soon turned away. Not knowing how to respond to this, I left the room as fast as I could.

Outside the door, I stopped to think.

_Why did he do that?_

* * *

I waited for him to make the first step. Was that it? Did he touch me to show me that he trusted me? Or is it just my convenient interpretation? Maybe it was just an accident.

I decided to wait for the next day. If he wanted to say or do something, I could probably read how he felt.

However, the next day he didn't say anything. He never tried touching me… and I found my answer when I realized he didn't even look at me.

_He hates me._

He hated me because I didn't protect him. He hated me because I imprisoned him. He hated me because I forced my kisses and embraces on him.

Now I had no choice but to look after him and avoid him at the same time. From then on, he didn't say a word to me, nor did he look at me.

However one day, just as I put his food in front of him and was about to leave, he suddenly spoke,

"When will you take me outside?"

I froze at the door, eyes wide. I didn't want to turn back and see his expression.

"Soon," was my only reply as I finally left the room.

I didn't think he remembered that. He was rather delusional at that time.

However, his request wasn't an easy one to meet. I couldn't take him outside. My father would go berserk. And I was stupid enough to promise him a day outside. I had to come up with a better answer, because he was not allowed outside of this basement.

However, I didn't want to disappoint him either…

_What to do now?_

I noticed one more thing. He became more and more indifferent. His every move became robotic. But at the same time, he had mood swings, but none of the emotions that I noticed on him were positive. He seemed sad, depressed, lonely, hurt and a lot of times he just stared ahead.

There was a time when I noticed how red his eyes were. When I looked closer, I noticed the tear tracks on his cheeks.

_He's been crying._

I didn't know what to do. Maybe my giving-him-time-and-space approach wasn't that good. Maybe I should make him say what he wanted… but that would not change anything.

He had to make the first move. Or was his attitude the answer?

He closed off. Maybe he didn't want anything to do with me?

That was probably true, so I had no choice but keep taking care of him silently.

Maybe that was the best thing to do. Father would hurt him, no matter what I did.

If I acted nice towards Nanao, than he would 'teach him a lesson', if I made him mine, he'd 'train him to satisfy me better', if I left him alone completely, he'd 'take care of him'. There was nothing I could do to successfully keep him away.

There was only one thing I could think of to keep him out of the room for a while.

Changing the lock.

And that was what I did. I asked the gardener, who was really good at things around the house, to change the lock. After that, I took the keys and hid them where no one would look for them.

That was the only way I could keep Nanao safe… relatively safe.

* * *

A few days later, Nanao asked the same question again.

"When will you take me outside?"

And I gave him the same answer.

I became angry. Angry at myself for saying that. I knew I couldn't take him out, so why did I promise him? Why did I still have the nerve to leave him hanging? As I was about to leave, he pressed further.

"That's what you said last time."

"And that's exactly what I meant," I knew I chose the wrong person to vent my anger on the moment the frustrated words left my mouth.

_Why can't I say no to him?_

I was pathetic… giving him false hope and then snapping at him when he questioned me. I became really angry at myself and so I left before I could hurt Nanao even more.

The expression he had on didn't leave me the whole day. He seemed hurt, sad, scared and… broken. He looked like someone who had given up on everything.

* * *

The next morning when I brought Nanao breakfast I found him lying on the bed, looking at the ceiling. He didn't acknowledge my presence, so I put the food beside him and left quietly.

An hour later, when I went back, I found the food untouched, Nanao motionless on the bed.

He didn't move at all. Not even when I called his name.

Thinking that he might be angry about yesterday, I took the plate and left him alone.

However, the same thing happened at lunch and dinner. The whole day, he just lay there, not moving, not saying a word.

I didn't know what to do. He didn't eat anything throughout the day. And the next day, the same thing happened.

I decided to ask for my brother's help, but his only advice was to let him be. Forcing him would not help at all.

I knew that. I didn't want to force him, but he had to eat something. He was way too thin.

* * *

He kept ignoring me for the next couple of days; however, a small portion of the food disappeared every time.

I tried attracting his attention by clanking the plates a bit too loudly, but it seemed like he didn't even notice me being in the room.

_Maybe he needs more time._

I let him be, just as my brother said, but I kept thinking of ways to get his attention, to cheer him up a bit.

However, no good idea came to mind. He was locked up in a basement, after being raped and tortured. What could possibly cheer someone up after all this?

* * *

One day, when we were having breakfast, my father made an announcement.

"I'll be gone for a week starting the day after tomorrow."

My brothers and I were at the table with him, and none of us really wanted to know where he went, so all we did was nod and proceeded to eat our food.

Meals were always quiet in our house. Father didn't like chatter at the table and we all learnt that pretty soon. Not like any of us had ever wanted to talk to him so much. We all knew what he was like. Even Towa kept his distance with him.

It only occurred to me in the evening what his words meant. I decided to take action the next day, to prepare everything even before my father left.

The next morning I went to the small town nearby to get everything I needed to execute my plan. I hid the things I'd bought in my room and prepared what I needed.

Fortunately, my father decided to leave in the early morning, so I had time to prepare everything I couldn't do the previous evening and put the basket on the table in the living room.

The next thing to do was to get Nanao up.

I went to the basement and found him on his bed, looking at the ceiling, as he usually did in the last couple of days.

However, this time I took his hand and helped him up. For a moment he didn't budge, but my persistence paid off. He seemed surprised and confused, but didn't protest much as he stood up beside me. I practically dragged him to his small bathroom.

"Go take a shower."

He looked at me questioningly, but did as he was told.

When I heard the sound of running water, I went back to the living room and gathered the new clothes I'd bought. I picked a blue shirt that matched the color of his eyes and black trousers. I also bought him socks and shoes. With these in hand, I made my way back to the basement.

Just when I arrived back I saw Nanao coming out of the shower. He looked at me with no emotion in his eyes, then at the clothes.

I stepped to the bed and placed them on it, then turned to the dresser and took out the special cuffs. Turning back to Nanao I pulled him closer and removed the usual cuff from his wrist.

He stared at his hands, but didn't say or do anything. Taking advantage of his surprise, I put the shirt on him, even though his lack of escape attempts scared me a bit.

He seemed to have gathered his senses and looked at the door, but I was faster and cuffed one of his wrists with the special cuff. It was special, because the cuffs were connected with a long – probably three meters – chain.

While one end was on Nanao's wrist, I put the other cuff on mine.

He looked at me as I held out the trousers for him. When I realized that he was too stunned to do anything, I helped him into the black pants, put the socks and shoes on him and admired his thin form quietly.

I was satisfied with my choice. The clothes complimented his beautiful jewel-like eyes and his thin frame. He looked really desirable in that attire, but this wasn't the time to be thinking about that.

With a surprised expression, he asked,

"What are these for?"

I merely said, "Let's go," as I took his hand.

"Where?" His expression changed to confused, but he didn't shake my hand off, for which I was grateful.

"Outside."


	11. Chapter 10

Beta-read by Seerstella

**Chapter 10**

* * *

"Outside?"

At last, he had a real emotion in his eyes as he asked slowly. This gave me a spark of relief. All this time, he was expressionless, and the few times I saw him express his emotions, it never reached his eyes. However, right now, his eyes were filled with shock and… hope.

Hope that I wasn't just messing with him.

Hope that he could finally get out of here, even if it was only for a few hours.

"Let's go!" I repeated, pulling him with me.

He was probably too stunned to do or say anything, and his movements seemed robotic. But soon, this stiffness disappeared and he started looking around as we made our way to the living room. Directing him to the table, I picked up the basket and led Nanao to the front door.

When I looked at him, he reminded me to a small child who was waiting to open his Christmas gifts. With shining eyes, he looked at the door and waited impatiently for me to give him any sign that he can step through it.

I looked at him one last time and opened the door. When I stepped outside and noticed that the chain was stopping me from going any further, I turned back and saw Nanao looking at me. His expression now held a lot of emotions. I could see it in his eyes that he could barely wait to get outside, but at the same time, I knew he was scared.

He had spent so much time in that basement that coming out seemed like an unrealistic dream to him. I went back to him and held his hand while leading him outside. As soon as we walked down the steps, he became more courageous and let go of my hand.

I knew seeing the huge land that belonged to us amazed him. And now I could tell he didn't know where to go. There were stalls farther behind our backs, together with a lake, a small forest and a field with lots of flowers.

I decided to help him out and led him to the stalls first. At the corner of the house a dog was resting, but as it noticed us, it lifted its head and looked at Nanao.

The strange thing was that it didn't start barking, even though it didn't like strangers.

For a moment, Nanao just stood there, waiting for the dog to attack, but when nothing happened, he inched a bit closer. I remembered what Nanao said back when he was delusional about wanting to pet a dog, so I let him go nearer.

As he approached the big Labrador, the dog sniffed his hand, but didn't seem to mind.

When the animal put its head back on its legs, Nanao crouched down in front of it and started petting its black fur.

"What's his name?" he asked.

"Alexander."

"Towa's dog?" He looked at me and I nodded.

At last he was talking to me while looking at me. I was afraid that what had happened ruined our relationship, but it seemed that Nanao only needed a change of scenery to get better.

For a while, he just played with the dog and I stood there watching, not wanting to urge him. After about fifteen minutes, he looked at me and stood up. I took that as a sign to continue our journey around the house and led him to the stall.

I noticed that the dog followed us, sticking close to Nanao, sometimes brushing against his leg. Nanao, in turn, patted him on the head.

When we reached the stall, I led him to the horses. He went to the big black horse and reached out to touch it. The horse looked at him curiously, but didn't try to avoid his hand. I gave Nanao some sugar cubes to feed the horse with.

"Do you want to brush her?" I asked and Nanao nodded eagerly.

As I watched him lovingly brush the horse's long fur, I finally saw what I've been missing these past few weeks.

Nanao's smile.

The smile that could light up the dark basement. The smile that made his eyes shone like two jewels.

I couldn't take my eyes off him as he tended to the horse. He seemed to forget about me, about where he was, about what happened. Now, it was only him and the dark horse and the dog that seemed to like him a lot.

"I'll take you to a horse ride next time," I said to get his attention and pulled him to our next stop.

Since the other horses were taken to a race this week, I led Nanao to where the donkey was. His smile became even wider as he approached the small animal.

"What's its name?" he asked looking at me.

"Donkey."

"Very original," Nanao chuckled.

Finally, the ice seemed to be melting, and I could feel Nanao's mood lifted significantly.

Soon, we left the stalls and started walking around the property. I had a destination in mind, but I wanted him to enjoy the sunshine and the light summer breeze, so we made a detour.

What I forgot to think about was the fact that Nanao spent the last three years of his life locked in a room, and had little to no time to build his stamina. He soon became tired and so I led him to the spot I decided to spend the day at.

The place I wanted to show Nanao was close to the lake in our backyard, in the middle of a field of colorful flowers. As we stopped there, I put the basket down, took the blanket out and laid it on the grass.

I motioned Nanao to sit down and I followed suit. He looked at the lake as I pulled out a few things from the basket.

When he noticed the things spread out on the blanket between us, his eyes widened. I brought a lot of fruit for him, a few sandwiches and ice tea. He eyed the strawberries, not daring to touch them until I picked one up and held it out to him. He looked at me before taking the strawberry, and started eating it slowly.

Next, he took some grapes and ate an apple. When he finished with those, he reached out for the cherries.

"You don't have to eat everything at once," I said and he immediately pulled his hand back. "You can eat it later. I'm not going to take them from you."

He looked at me, picked up a cherry and turned towards the lake. For a while, we just sat there quietly, until he broke the silence.

"Why did you bring me here?"

"You can use some time outside."

The only answer I got was a 'hm' as he turned back towards the lake and watched the swans.

I had a lot of things I wanted to ask him about but didn't have the heart to break the peaceful atmosphere. After some time, Nanao suddenly lied down on the blanket and closed his eyes. I couldn't tell if he was tired or just enjoying the warm breeze, so I let him be.

A few minutes later, I noticed his breathing slowed down, telling me that he had fallen asleep. I watched him; his beautiful black hair moving with the wind, the content smile on his face, his pale skin between the lower part of his shirt and the trousers, his slender fingers grasping the grass over his head, his thin frame as he lied on his side.

It was a beautiful sight that was only ruined by the cuff on his wrist.

_Someday, Nanao… someday I'll set you free. I promise!_

I couldn't help myself and picked a flower to put it behind his ear. I brushed his hair out of his face and his smile widened.

"Ai…kawa…"

I froze when he whispered my name afraid that I woke him, but it seemed that he spoke in his sleep. That made me smile.

_My beautiful Nanao calling out my name in his sleep. That's a good sign._

I lied down next to him and took his hand as I closed my eyes and we spent the day sleeping in the backyard, bathing in the sunshine, listening to the birds and the sounds of the summer breeze.

When I woke up, it was already late afternoon and I found Nanao watching me as he lied next to me, his face close to mine and the dog between us. He smiled that sweet smile of his but didn't say a word, nor did he move. I was content with just looking at him, so we stayed that way until Nanao's stomach grumbled, completely breaking the peaceful moment.

"You're hungry?" I asked and mover to get a sandwich out of the basket just to find it missing. "You ate the sandwich?"

"No."

I frowned, but soon found the napkin not far from us. "Alexander," I sighed.

Nanao chuckled. The dog looked up then put its head on Nanao's lap. His big brown eyes stared at me, as if begging for no scolding, and I sighed again. Oh, this dog. Towa had been pampering him too much, same with Aniki, and I couldn't even get angry at him.

Unfortunately, thanks to Alexander, we had to get back to the house, so we stood up and gathered everything then made our way back.

Inside the house Nanao's mood seemed to go downhill, but it was still much better than the last few weeks. I led him back to his room, changed the cuff back to the original one and left to get some dinner.

When I came back, Nanao was sitting on the bed, waiting for me. The meal was spent in comfortable silence and the first time he talked was when I was about to leave.

"Thank you."

I turned to him and nodded before leaving him alone.

* * *

The next morning, I went downstairs with the same basket in my hand. As I opened the door, I found Nanao coming out of the bathroom. His eyes lit up when he saw what was in my hand.

"Are we going outside again?"

"Yes." I went to get the other cuff and after changing it, we left the basement.

This time, I wanted him to talk a bit about himself, so we went to the same spot by the lake and sat down on the blanket. After he ate a sandwich for breakfast, I asked him the question that had been on my mind for a while now.

"Who's Mikado?"

He stopped breathing for a moment and his eyes widened as he looked at me.

"Where did you hear that name?"

"You said it."

He didn't ask anything more, probably knowing when he mentioned it. Just when I was about to ask again, he started speaking quietly.

"He's my younger brother." His eyes became gentle and a soft smile appeared on his face. "He's five years younger than me. He was just a little boy when I last saw him."

"What does he look like?"

"He's serious. Way too serious for someone his age." The smile widened as he remembered. "He rarely smiles; only when he really means it. He doesn't smile out of courtesy. And he looks a lot like me… cleverer, I guess."

"Do you have any other siblings?" I asked, even though I'd known the answer.

"Yes. A sister." He really liked his family, because the smile that appeared on his face as he talked about them was something I've never seen on him before. "She's three years older than me and she's really pretty. But most people fear her," he laughed as he watched the swans swimming in the lake. "She's really cold on the outside, but I can't ask for a more caring sister. She was always with me when I was sad or sick. Though she liked to dress me up…"

"Dress you up?"

"Yes. She made me wear her old dresses. She said I was pretty in them." As the dog sat down next to him, Nanao started patting it unconsciously.

For a while, he didn't say anything. From his expression I could tell that he was reminiscing, thinking about the times when he was free and able to be with his family. I was trying to imagine Nanao in a dress and surprisingly, it wasn't that hard. He looked fragile and beautiful, so he most probably was adorable in a dress. His sister surely had a good taste.

When he looked at me, I could see sadness in his eyes, but he didn't say anything. He never blamed me for taking away his freedom, and even though it wasn't technically me who took it, I still had the chance to let him go. But he never asked for me to set him free.

He probably knew that I couldn't. My father would never let that happen.

For a while, we walked around in the backyard, Nanao occasionally bending down to smell the flowers. We went to the stall to brush the black horse again, and Nanao helped me get some fresh water and a few carrots to give to her.

The afternoon was spent in much the same way as the day before. We lied on the blanket, but this time I didn't forget to bring books with me, so we spent the hours silently reading. From time to time, I let my hand brush his, and the small smile reassured me that Nanao was indeed healing, both physically and psychologically.

At the evening we went back to his room and I brought him dinner. Soon after finishing, Nanao lied down and fell asleep. The days spent outside obviously had exhausted him, even though we didn't do anything much.

* * *

The third day my father was away started out like the previous two. We walked around a bit, thinking that this was a good opportunity for Nanao to build his stamina, but this time it was cut short when we ran into Alexander.

For some reason, the dog decided that Nanao was here to play with him, and nagged him until he gave up and engaged in some silly games. That lasted for more than an hour, and they clearly enjoyed it although Nanao was chained to me and couldn't run around much.

As we made our way to the usual spot, I decided on which question to ask this time. I didn't want to overwhelm him, so I took my time in figuring out the answers by myself, and thinking how his reaction could be.

"Nanao." I started to get his attention which was currently on the apple he was eating. I had to order more fruit as Nanao consumed every one of them. "Would you like to tell me about how you became a slave?"

He stopped chewing for a moment and I saw his hand shake. I reached out to take his hands in mine, and that seemed to break him out of the trance he was in.

"He… I…" he seemed lost in the memory and I squeezed his hand to reassure him. He looked up at me gratefully and took a deep breath. "I was… kidnapped."

His previous nonchalant behavior disappeared as he recalled what happened. The way he talked about this the first day he got here was unsettling. Now, he had emotions not just on his face, but in his voice too.

"I was… walking home from school and… suddenly someone… pulled me into a van and… I felt something pierce my arm and… I was unconscious before I could scream for help…"

The memory seemed to get a grip on him, making him shaken, so I pulled him closer and hugged him. He was shaking and soon, like what I'd anticipated, I could feel tears staining my shirt.

It took me a while to get him to calm down, but after that, he continued without my asking.

"I woke up in a cell, completely naked. There were other boys with me and some of them had scars on their backs." His tone now seemed a bit emotionless. "They poured cold water on us and then took us one by one. I was taken to a shop and they chained me down."

He seemed to not want to continue and I didn't know whether I should urge him to say anything more or not. As I was contemplating, I heard him continue.

"An old man bought me… and took me to his house… and he… he…" He was obviously struggling to say out the word of the worst thing ever happened to him.

"Stop," I said quietly but sternly. I didn't want to make him feel like this. All I wanted was to see him smiling by my side, and this was not helping at all. I wondered why I asked this at the first place. "You don't have to talk about it," I added in a less commanding tone.

He nodded and looked at the lake. He sat there with no expression on his face, looking ahead but not really seeing anything for hours.

Meanwhile, Alexander appeared and probably sensed Nanao's bad mood as he sat down next to him and nudged him with his nose until Nanao turned to him and started petting him. I was a little worried about him, but he gathered himself by the end of the day. To make it up to him, I decided not to take him back to his room immediately.

Instead, we made our way to the kitchen.

"Why did you bring me here?" he asked as he looked around the spacious room. It was even bigger than his and of course there was lighter here too, given that Nanao's room didn't have any windows.

"To make dinner," I said not looking up as I pulled out the things I needed.

I decided to make some _tamagoyaki_ so we could eat it with some vegetables and milk. He helped me with the eggs, and thankfully, the smile I loved so much reappeared on his face. We decided to eat in the kitchen, for it had a small table too.

After finishing, I led him back to the room and left. I decided not to push him, so I didn't give him a goodnight kiss, even though I wanted it very much.

* * *

The next day, as we made our way outside, Nanao asked, "Aren't we going to get in trouble?"

I looked at him questioningly, and he pointed towards the door. I understood what he meant. "My father's away on business for a week."

That seemed to satisfy his curiosity as he didn't ask anything more.

By this time, he knew where we were heading and he I let him lead the way to our usual spot. For some reason he seemed a bit nervous, and I didn't know what to think of it until we sat down and he turned to me.

"So?"

I looked at him, feeling a bit stupid for thinking that I could fool Nanao. Of course he knew what this was all about. He didn't have anything else to do than think, and it wasn't like I was trying to hide my motive.

"Do you know why my father attacked you?"

"No," he said, his face fell into that emotionless mask once again. "I woke up to him putting a collar on me and he dragged me to that… room."

"Do you want to talk about what happened?"

"No." This time, he didn't look at me as he answered.

"There was a man in there, right?"

"How do you know?" he looked up suddenly.

"My father said something about a friend." For a while, we looked at each other. He was clearly scared, I just didn't know what caused it, and I was feeling guilty, but I doubted he could tell that. "I'm sorry."

His eyes widened when he heard that. "Why are you apologizing?"

"I should have kept you safe."

"It's not your fault…"

"Yes it is."

_You just don't know the reason why he did that. You don't know that it happened because I treated you the way I do now. Like a human being._

We kept silent for the rest of the day. However, this time it wasn't exactly a comfortable silence. It was clear that both of us wanted to say things, but neither of us knew how to say it. So we just kept avoiding looking at the other as we watched the lake and read in the grass.

Alexander soon found us too and kept Nanao in company. They seemed to get along well and like each other a lot. And at least he helped Nanao to take his mind off of the things we had just talked about. Plus, Alexander needed someone to play with since Towa wasn't home right now.

Thankfully, the evening arrived and it was time to have dinner. I ordered some food and we ate it in the kitchen. By the time we finished, the atmosphere wasn't so tense between us, so I came up with an idea.

As we exited the kitchen, I turned to Nanao and asked, "Do you want to see my room?"

He blinked a few times before answering. "Can I?"

I nodded and led him up the stairs. It was a taboo to bring a slave to the part of the house that we lived in, but my father wasn't here now, and no one else cared about these things.

When we entered, Nanao looked around. The room wasn't anything special, because I didn't like having too much stuff around. Under the big window across the door stood a large wooden table, next to it I had a bookshelf filled with my school books and a few interesting readings I took from my family's library. On the other side of the room stood a big built-in wardrobe and a king-size bed.

When Nanao's eyes landed on the bed, he became uncertain and tried backing out of the room, but the chain that connected us didn't let him.

"I didn't bring you here for that," I tried reassuring him.

"Then why did you bring me here?"

"I thought you'd like to spend the night somewhere with a more comfortable bed and light."

He watched me for a while, thinking whether he should believe me or not, but eventually decided to trust me, for which I was very grateful and happy.

So as not to scare him, I thought we should both sleep in our clothes, so we lied down on my bed, facing each other.

No matter how uneasy and scared he was, Nanao fell asleep within minutes. I watched his sleeping face for a while before joining him.

* * *

I woke up to something hitting my hand and someone talking beside me.

"No… please… hurts…"

It was Nanao, probably dreaming about what happened when my father took him to the torture room. I sat up and shook his shoulders to wake him; however he just started to trash around, trying to get away from me.

"Nanao!" I tried calling his name but no avail. As a last resort, I pulled him close to me and hugged him as tightly as I could. "Shh… it's okay. You're safe. Shh…" My voice or the embrace seemed to help as he gradually calmed down.

He didn't wake up, not even for a moment, but encircled me with his hands and put his head on my chest. I fell back down, still holding him close and we fell asleep like that.

* * *

The next time I woke up, it was to someone struggling in my arms. Apparently, Nanao woke up before me and wasn't happy with this arrangement. As I opened my eyes, I found his face close to me, looking a bit angry. No, not angry. He looked more like a pouting child. I wanted to laugh at him, but stopped myself and said instead.

"Good morning."

He just narrowed his eyes and tried to push himself away from me, but I held him tightly. When he realized that I wasn't going to let go, he gave up, but still kept himself as far from me as possible.

"You had a bad dream," I explained, but he didn't seem satisfied. "This was the only way to calm you down."

He huffed and looked away, but didn't say anything. After a few minutes, he seemed to relax in my arms and took his hands from my chest. I suddenly pulled him close to me, and I could hear him taking a sharp breath as I held him.

"It's okay," was all I said as we laid there.

"Where are your brothers?" he asked suddenly.

"Away. Why?"

He shrugged. "I haven't seen them around. The house is strangely empty."

"Yes. My father is away on business. That gives us a lot of freedom, so they went on a trip."

"Why didn't you join them?" he looked up at me, his beautiful blue eyes filled with curiosity.

"I actually want to be with you."

My answer stopped his next question as he suddenly looked away, a small blush appearing on his face. After regaining his composure, he looked back at me and asked, "Do they also have… pets?"

I frowned, knowing what he meant but not liking the word he used even though I was the first to refer to him as such. "That's complicated."

"How so?"

"My older brother had one."

"_Had_?" his tone turned suspicious. He probably had guessed what happened.

"Yes. A girl called… Kae. She was very pretty."

A strange expression appeared on his face that I could only identify as jealousy, but didn't know who it was directed at. I didn't think he spent enough time with either of my brothers to fall in love with them, and he didn't know the girl, so it was a mystery to me.

"What happened?" his voice grew soft, expecting something bad.

"My father tried 'training' her." I said flatly, not really wanting to remember what happened.

Thankfully, Nanao didn't press any further, however the memories already came back to haunt me.

The girl, Kae, was brought in as a birthday present for my brother when he turned eighteen. He felt the same way about this whole 'keeping pets' thing as I did, and tried being nice. Kae soon fell in love with him, but that wasn't really appropriate in this house.

My father was furious, and argued a lot with my brother. He couldn't do anything, because Kae did what she needed to do. She pleased my brother in every way he asked. And I could tell that Aniki liked her too. And eventually, that was their downfall.

One day, my brother brought up the topic that should never be spoken about in this house. He told Father, that he wanted to free Kae and marry her.

No one said a word to object that statement, but I could see rage in my father's eyes. I knew something was going to happen. We all knew and waited impatiently. About a week later, when everyone relaxed, Aniki had to go somewhere. He left the house for five days. Those five days were probably worse than hell for Kae.

My father took her to the torture room the moment Aniki stepped out of the house. She received probably the same treatment that Nanao had… if not worse.

She was locked down there for five days with my father. He used every possible way to torture her. By the time Aniki came home, she was almost dead.

I remember watching him crying, holding the motionless, almost cold body close to him and calling out her name.

He refused to eat for days, didn't talk at all and I met him several times in the living room at night. He sat in the armchair and looked out the window with tears streaming down his face.

After about a week, he finally joined us at the breakfast table and announced, "I'm going to be a doctor."

No one said a word. I could tell that my father strongly opposed that idea, but he also didn't say anything. Even he could tell that Aniki was dead serious and nothing could stop him.

This happened long before Nanao got here. And now, history seemed to be repeating itself, but this time it was my turn. The only thing I could do was to keep my father as far from him as possible, because I couldn't stay away.

Because I had to have Nanao.

As I looked into his eyes, I saw understanding and grief in them. He was a really nice person. He didn't even know that girl, didn't have much interaction with my brother either, but still grieved his loss.

"Towa doesn't have any."

"I knew that," he grinned. "His _pet_ is called Alexander."

"Yes," I sighed. I was happy that Nanao seemed to like my younger brother, but I knew Towa didn't share that sentiment. He was rather frightened of my black haired beauty. I pulled Nanao to me and closed my eyes. This time, he didn't seem to mind being close to me.

We went down to have lunch, because by the time I realized we should eat, it was afternoon. He asked me if we could see the other parts of the house too, so we went to take a tour.

I showed him a part of the house, because it was too big to walk around, especially with Nanao, who was easily tired. We stopped at the library and picked out books to read and went back to my room. As we laid there reading, Nanao suddenly turned to me.

"What about your mother? I haven't seen her."

"She died not long after Towa was born."

He looked apologetic and turned his head down. "I'm sorry."

"It was a long time ago."

"But mothers are important," he said without looking up.

"Do you miss yours?" I asked, not wanting to talk about mine. Though I found it unfair to ask about his, given that he couldn't go to see her even though she was probably still alive.

"Yes," he admitted quietly.

We dropped the subject rather quickly and went back to reading. Or at least pretending to read. I saw that Nanao didn't turn the page for quite some time and I also didn't. We were both lost in our own memories.

A sad smile appeared on his face as he recalled the times he spent with his mother and finally broke the silence.

"I didn't spend that much time with my mom though. My parents were always away on business. I was always with Nee-chan. I miss her."

I didn't say anything to that. Asking question about that would make him feel lonelier and sadder. The only thing I could do was hold his hand and turn back to my book. The rest of the day was spent like this. Holding hands and reading.

After a quick dinner, we went back to my room and took a quick shower (I had to remove the cuff until we finished) and I gave him some clean pajamas to sleep in. However this time, he moved close to me before falling asleep and let me hold him throughout the night.

* * *

The next day I decided to take him to the stall and bring out the black horse.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I promised to take you on a horse ride."

With that I sat up on the horse and reached my hand out to help him. His eyes shined as he took it and let me pull him up. I decided to sit behind him and teach him how to ride.

He learnt quickly and the horse was soon running, with Nanao laughing happily as the wind played with his hair. I was content with the present situation and hugged him from behind, resting my head on his shoulder.

We went to the far end of our land and turned back. It took up half of the day. After we got back, Nanao helped me clean and feed the horse.

"Kuon?" Nanao jumped when someone called my name from behind.

"Aniki," I nodded to greet him.

"What are you doing?" he asked, looking at Nanao, though the question was most probably directed at me.

"We went for a ride," I answered, knowing that Nanao was uncomfortable under his gaze.

My brother only shook his head and went into the house. We followed him and found Towa in the living room. He was about to run to me when he saw Nanao and stopped abruptly.

"Hi," he said instead and went back to sit on the sofa.

"How was your trip?" I asked to break the awkward atmosphere.

It seemed to work as the words started to flow from Towa's mouth as he talked about the hot springs, the shrines they had visited and the food they ate. He spoke about the food the longest between his other stories; Towa, forever a food lover. He gave us some hard-boiled eggs they brought from the hot springs and I let Nanao eat most of them. He was unusually quiet, probably feeling out of place with my brothers around.

I decided to let Nanao have his rest and took him back to his room. After changing the cuff, he sat down on his bed and looked at me.

With a sigh, I joined him and took his hands in mine as I said, "I can't take you out tomorrow. My father's coming home."

He nodded a sad nod, but smiled at me reassuringly.

That smile brought forth feelings I've been trying to hide these past few weeks and I leaned closer until our lips touched. When I felt no resistance, I pulled him to me and let my tongue slip through his slightly parted lips.

A moment later, I felt his hands clutching my shirt as the kiss became more passionate. I separated myself from him before I had the chance to do something stupid and stood up. His embarrassed expression with those flushed cheeks and swollen lips was so adorable that I had to lean down and kiss his forehead before saying 'good night' and leaving the room.

_Maybe he doesn't hate me after all._


	12. Chapter 11

Beta-read by Seerstella

**Chapter 11**

* * *

**Nanao's POV**

Getting out of this… cage was like a dream come true. And Aikawa was so nice, he confused me. It was getting harder and harder to know where we stood. One day he acted nice and caring, the next one he avoided me and looked at me with disgust, and a day later everything was fine again.

And now, that his father was back and we couldn't leave this room, his behavior changed, _again_. But this time, it was even harder to tell what was going through his head.

He acted cold and serious, which was normal for him, but at the same time he was very distant and still somewhat kind. Before the incident with his father, he was never distant with me. Under his stern self I could always detect kindness and caring.

I flinched when the door opened. I didn't even hear someone approaching. Thankfully, it was Aikawa.

He brought with him a plate filled with fruit. Ever since the days we spent outside, he's been bringing me fruit almost every day. It became a ritual for us.

We'd sit on the bed, the fruit between us and ate them silently until everything disappeared. The fruit improved my health too, as I felt more energized and stronger. I loved the new clothes too, but I didn't have a chance to wear them since the cuff was placed on my wrist. But secretly, when Aikawa wasn't here, I pulled them out just to touch and smell them.

They smelt fresh and I could sense the outside world on it… but the smell was fading rapidly, and the longing to go outside was growing with every passing day.

Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to go out. Until then, I just dreamt of something I could barely recall. I no longer remembered the smell of flowers or the sound of the wind. The feel of the sun warming my skin was long forgotten, along with the feeling of a nice, warm animal.

And now that I remembered, I couldn't seem to banish those things from my mind. _Longing_… always longing for more.

_I'm a really greedy person._

I was outside a lot and I still I wanted more.

Aikawa showed me care and friendship… and I still wanted more.

He gave me a lot of things and I kept asking for more, unsatisfied with what I was given.

It was funny, how I never stopped to appreciate the smaller, less mattered things. It was like that before I was kidnapped. That was why I forgot so many things… the sun, the wind, the smell of rain. And I was afraid that I'd forget important things too… like my sister's favorite color, Mikado's stoic expression, my mother's kind voice or my father's form as he read the newspaper in the morning.

And that process had already started, I could feel it. I no longer remembered the color of the walls in my room, or the smell of my freshly washed clothes, or my favorite book. I couldn't remember what I wanted to be when I grew up. I didn't even remember if I had plans for the future or not.

Even though I knew all this, I've never learnt my lesson, and I still didn't appreciate small things. This time, I stopped to remember the sun, the wind, the smells and the colors. And only much later did I realize that those were _not_ the small things. Not anymore.

Given how little time I had outside, those things became something _huge_ for me… even if they were considered small by other people. The small things were those slight, barely visible smiles on Aikawa's face, the brush of his hand against mine, his kisses. And these things were fading fast, since Aikawa stopped acting like that around me.

As I sat there, in front of Aikawa, eating a strawberry, I wondered what it was like being a normal teenager, enjoying the company of a… _friend_. Aikawa couldn't be an example of that, being the rich kid he was and having a sadistic father but I had no other reference.

So I just sighed and shook my head to forget about the whole thing and looked at the flowers on the nightstand.

That was a new tradition as well. Aikawa brought me fresh flowers very often. He put them in water and I spent the day watching them, trying to figure out what their name was. In my loneliest moments, when Aikawa acted distant and didn't come to my room, I even spoke to them.

When I asked Aikawa about the names of the flowers, he just shrugged as he walked away. But next day, when he came down with books to spend the day reading, he brought one about flowers. Maybe that was his way of cheering me up, or just keeping the outside world close, I didn't know.

But I was grateful for him nevertheless.

* * *

One day, Aikawa burst into the room and headed straight to my bed with an angry expression. Expecting the worst, I closed my eyes and waited for the first blow… which never came. Instead, I was enveloped in a very tight hug, so tight I had difficulty breathing.

When I opened my eyes, I found Aikawa's shirt in front of me. I didn't know what to say, or even if I was allowed to speak at all, so I let him hold me, secretly enjoying his closeness. His unique sent, the smell of his clothes calmed my nerves and I relaxed. I knew he'd never hit me. Since Aikawa had never hurt me before, I took a shaky breath to gather my courage and asked, "What's wrong?"

After a long silent minute, Aikawa finally answered. "Got into an argument with my father."

The mention of that man made me uneasy, and I had a feeling that the argument was about me.

"Let me stay like this for a while," he added and fell on the bed, bringing me with him. We lied on our sides, facing each other, though I couldn't really see him this way.

For a good twenty minutes, we stayed that way, not moving or saying anything as Aikawa held me close. The only way to keep my mind occupied was to count his breaths before my mind started to thread in dangerous territories.

Being so close to him did nothing good to my heart. Absolutely nothing. It was racing and beating so loud I was afraid he could hear it. The strong yet gentle arms that held me made me realize how safe I felt near him.

Finally, he loosened his hold on me, but didn't let go entirely. I had the chance to slide back a little and look into his eyes. He seemed emotionless, but I could find the traces of fear in his eyes.

_What's he afraid of?_

As I looked into his eyes, I noticed one of his hands coming closer to my face. He brushed my hair out of my eyes and touched the side of my face.

"You have beautiful eyes," he said suddenly.

I blushed, not being used to compliments. As he kept his hand there, I felt my face burning more and more. He just looked into my eyes, lost in thought as I struggled to slow down my heart. He let out a sigh and put his hand on my hip. When my hair fell back, I reached out because it was in my eyes, disturbing my sight.

"You need a haircut," Aikawa observed me. "I'll bring someone tomorrow."

I nodded, not really believing his word. Who would he call? And why?

He was probably still too upset to think things through before saying them. I tentatively reached out and placed my hand on his arm that was under us. He seemed to come out of his thoughts and looked at me questioningly.

I shook my head and closed my eyes. He looked content the way we lied and sighed. The bed was way too small for two people, so I let him slide closer to me and we soon fell asleep.

* * *

When I woke up, I realized that I'd never felt this safe before. Not even in the last few years; and absolutely not between those days of slavery I could remember. Aikawa was still sleeping, his face calm and smooth as he held me. I watched him and had to realize that he looked much older than his age when he was awake. The cold, emotionless eyes made him look like an adult, even though he was barely eighteen.

I smiled when he sighed in his sleep. He seemed peaceful. For a moment, I let myself think that nothing bad could happen to us. I let myself believe that we were lovers, snuggling after a romantic evening together. I guessed my dreams had turned me into a hopeless romantic.

I could imagine a dinner, with candlelight shining in the room, the smell of food floating in the air, us interlacing our fingers as we sit across from each other at the table.

That dinner would be an ending of an afternoon date, like going to the movies. He would bring me flowers… no, Aikawa wasn't the kind of person who'd bring flowers. But I knew he would be a perfect gentleman.

I smiled, thinking about holding hands with him, walking around in a city while looking at the shops or sitting in a park, looking at the stars as he held me close like that time on the horse…

"What are you smiling about?"

I flinched when he talked to me. I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't even notice him waking up. "Nothing," I said and blushed hard under his curious gaze.

Fortunately, he gave up asking and moved away a bit. I kept looking at his face and suddenly, something changed and his face turned dark. I felt his hands stiffen and he let go of me as if my touch was burning him.

He stood up, looked at me one last time and left the room without a word. Something must have happened with his father to make him like this. He left so abruptly that he forgot about my need to eat, and that went on for a while. I was starting to get really hungry when, finally, I heard footsteps approaching.

I almost smiled in anticipation when I noticed something.

_It's not Aikawa._

The footsteps were much slower and heavier than Aikawa's. I didn't know who it was, but they made me feel scared and trapped. I had nowhere to run and no one to help. My breath quickened and heart beat rapidly as I heard the person came closer and closer to my door.

Suddenly, the sound stopped and I could hear my own heartbeat in the silence. Squeezing myself into the farthest corner of the room, I watched the door that separated me from that person without blinking.

Then I saw the doorknob moving slowly. I prayed for whatever God was listening to keep that person away, to keep me safe. The doorknob moved, but the door didn't open. It was locked; Aikawa had locked it even in his haste of leaving. I sighed in relief and relaxed a bit.

However, my breath hitched when I heard the sound of keys. There couldn't be too many people with keys to this room… and the only one I could think of to come here was…

I listened intently as the key was placed in its place and everything stopped again. Whoever it was, probably enjoyed tormenting me, and that made me certain about who stood at the other side of the door.

Suddenly, the key was turned and…

The door didn't open.

The person tried opening it again and failed. Then I heard the sound of a key turning again, but the door stayed locked.

I held my breath as someone cursed outside and from the voice I recognized the man who was the main actor of my nightmares…

_Aikawa's father._

He suddenly kicked the door and I jumped… but the door stayed closed.

Again, the man cursed and finally gave up as I heard footsteps fading. I waited until it could no longer be heard. As the silence returned to the room, this time a comforting silence, I let myself relax.

Just when my racing heart calmed down completely, I heard footsteps again. This time they were faster but still unfamiliar and I couldn't figure out who it was.

The person stopped in front of the door and I held my breath when the sound of keys hit my ears again.

_No!_

This time, I heard a click and the door opened. I squeezed my eyes shut and backed into the corner as far as possible waiting for whatever horrors that man came up for me.

_No! No! No! Please don't hurt me!_

For a few moments, the only thing I could hear was my heartbeat and just as I was about to open my eyes, to see why that man didn't come closer, I heard more footsteps. That man was coming closer and closer to me. I felt my whole body shaking; I'd never been this scared before. I've never feared any of my former masters as I fear Aikawa's father.

_Help! Someone! Anyone! Please help me!_

I wanted to scream for help… or just scream. I wanted to run… get out of this horrible place.

But I couldn't speak and I didn't move as the man approached me. When I heard the footsteps stop in front of me, I braced myself for the worst.

Then suddenly, that man grabbed my shoulders and I screamed.

I screamed like never before. I didn't want to let him have his way with me. At least not without a fight. So I started to hit him with everything I got… wherever I could until…

"Nanao! Calm down!"

_Aikawa?_

It was Aikawa's voice, so I automatically stopped fighting and opened my eyes. I met those brown eyes I loved so much and they were filled with worry. When my racing heart had slowed down, and I could breathe normally again, I looked at his face once again. He had a bruise forming under his right eye and his lower lip was bleeding.

_I did this._

I watched with fear as he let go of my shoulders and the only thing I could think of was that I hurt my owner… no. I _hurt_ Aikawa.

Despite that, he didn't seem to mind the injuries as he helped me to my feet and led me back to the bed.

"My father was here."

It wasn't a question, but I nodded anyway. As I was about to tell him that he couldn't come in, he continued, "I changed the lock."

_That explains it._

I wanted to smile at his protectiveness, but the way I hurt him stopped me. Even if he wasn't angry about it, I was. He was the only person who never hurt me… and I injured him for the second time now.

_I'm really ungrateful._

When he noticed the way I looked at him, he took my hands and an almost soft expression appeared on his face.

"I'm fine."

I knew he would say that. And even though the injuries weren't bad, this whole thing wasn't fine. I felt miserable for doing that to him… and even more miserable for acting like that.

I'd been screaming and trashing around like some wild animal. But he didn't comment on that, or release me, or even fight back because I knew he could do so just fine. Instead, he just held my hands until I calmed down.

That night, he stayed with me until I fell asleep. I even forgot that I had nothing to eat.

* * *

The next morning, he appeared with my breakfast that disappeared way too quickly. He didn't say a word as he left the room and came back with more, never forgetting to lock the door.

Later that day, Aikawa came back with a man who looked a lot like Aikawa's friend Izumi, and he cut my hair. I was surprised he remembered his promise. Then again, Aikawa never broke his promises.

When the man left, Aikawa ruffled my hair – very uncharacteristic of him – and left with an expression I could only identify as pity.

_Pity?_

The one I wanted to see was not pity. I never wanted anyone to pity me.

He was too nice. Too nice to someone like me. I had nothing to give him and yet, he kept me here and fed me. Even changed the lock to keep his father away from me.

The cold shoulder he gave me sometimes hurt a lot… but when he was kind to me that hurt even more. I wasn't used to this. I could deal with the bad things, but he was throwing me in a loop. The ups and downs were so confusing that I began to question his sincerity.

Maybe he just acted nice as part of his 'training'.

_No. Aikawa wasn't that kind of person. He wouldn't deceive me like that._

But if I had to be honest, I didn't really know what kind of person he was. Maybe he _was_ deceitful. Maybe all of this was just an act to win me over.

_No. Aikawa's nice._

He was forced to take a slave. He didn't want any of this, and that was why he could be so distant and kind at the same time. Maybe he just realized how messed up I was. After what I just did to him… and I was impure and disgusting.

I was just a _slave_… not a lover.

But then why did he have to choose me? I was so used to the harsh treatments, the beatings and the rape. Compared to that, his kindness was suffocating me.

The kindness he had given me made me think that I could have more… that I had the right to ask for more… that I had the right to love him and want him to love me back.

But how could I expect him to love me? It was a miracle he thought of me as someone important. How could I want more when I was already receiving so much? He took good care of me, fed me, healed me. He never hurt me.

And what did I ever give him in return? Nothing. Nothing at all. I didn't even give him what he bought me for… _pleasure_.

I had to do something to thank him, and he said he wanted to do _that_ with me, but wouldn't force me. Still… he probably still wanted it. All my owners wanted that. That was my purpose.

Nodding to myself, I decided to take action. The next time Aikawa came into the room, I sat on the edge of the bed and waited for him to do the same. He looked at me questioningly, but didn't say anything. The bruise under his eye was very visible and his lip had a small scar.

This time too, he sat a bit farther. He was definitely avoiding me for some reason. I slid closer and grabbed his wrist when he wanted to stand up.

"You don't have to avoid me in such an obvious way." I said, looking into his eyes. For a moment he seemed to hesitate, but when he opened his mouth to say something, I continued. "You don't want to be in the same room with an impure thing like me?"

His eyes widened for a moment, but his slightly surprised expression soon changed into something unreadable.

"Or are you bored with me already?"

When he didn't say anything I decided to make my move. I slid my hand up his arm and pushed him back on the bed. When he was slightly defenseless, I unzipped his trousers and took him out. He was huge, but somehow I managed to put most of it into my mouth.

By the time he noticed what I was doing, he became hard.

"Nanao… stop it!" his voice was hard, barely concealing his desire.

His behavior made me realize something. I realized that he was after my body just like my previous masters. He just wanted to have sex with me.

_You will never fall in love with me._

I tried stretching myself to make it a bit less painful. However, I didn't really know how to do it, so it was probably not enough.

Then it was time to get to the difficult part.

The actual penetration.

I didn't want that, I didn't want any of this. But at the same time, I wanted to have sex with Aikawa, at least once. Sex had been very painful to me… but if that was what I could give him in return for all he did for me, than I had no reason to hesitate.

Slowly, I sat on him and felt him stretch my insides. It didn't feel nearly as bad as when I was doing it with others. It could have been because Aikawa wasn't forcing me at all, or because I had prepared myself.

For a while, I just sat there, trying to get used to the sensation, and enjoying the moment I became one with the person I loved. I started moving a bit, and felt him getting bigger inside me. The feeling I got wasn't that bad, so I moved faster and he groaned, while placing one of his hands on my hip and the other on my thigh.

He looked at me with anger on his face that I couldn't understand. I _knew_ he enjoyed it. I could feel it, and also, I could tell that he was close.

"Do you… know what you're doing?" He asked, looking straight into my eyes.

"Of course I do," I took his hand and touched it to my face. I hoped I wasn't crying. "It's something I was supposed to do from the beginning."

I kept moving faster until he came. When I felt the familiar warm liquid in me, I stopped to catch my breath, but didn't have much time to do that, as he pushed me off onto the bed, pulled his trousers up and left the room without a word.

Just then, I realized that I was wrong. I was never one with him… because he didn't return my feelings. But that made me understand something else. He didn't want to have sex with me, and I did it, even though he told me to stop.

_I forced myself on him._

* * *

I'm sorry to inform you, my dear reader, but a story about slavery can't really be happy. Add to this the fact that the Mujihi series is quite emotional, plus I'm better at writing about angst and depression. Which means… I'll be back with more heart wrenching chapters soon.  
Sorry about that…


	13. Chapter 12

Beta-read by Seerstella

**Chapter 12**

* * *

He didn't come back that day. I was afraid he would forget about my food, or punish me with not bringing any more for days, but he appeared on the next morning.

As he entered the room, he looked at me for a long moment, not saying anything. His eyes were hard and calculating. For a moment I thought maybe he was cautious of me, but that was ridiculous. Why would he be afraid? The only one with a reason to be scared was me.

Even though he said he wouldn't hurt me, this time I had gone too far. I had forced myself on him, even though it was supposed to be the other way around.

No matter how much I thought about it, I really couldn't understand his reaction. I knew what I did - or more like _how_ I did it - was wrong, but… he was after my body after all. Just like all my previous owners. Just because he said he wouldn't force me didn't mean he was satisfied by not having me.

And when I finally gave him what he wanted… he just ran off. I couldn't wrap my mind around that reaction of his. Did I do something wrong? Was I not supposed to do this? Was I supposed to let him dominate me?

I knew my previous masters would be overjoyed by my willingness. They would even give me some kind of reward for this… then why was he different?

For the first time, I wanted to make a move and do what I was supposed to do. But it seemed he didn't want it… _he didn't want me_.

Maybe he really wanted me as a friend and nothing more. But did he kiss all of his friends like that? Every time he kissed me and held me close to him, I felt like he was trying to restrain himself. Like he was trying to keep himself from going any further. Like he was keeping himself in check to not scare me away.

Was I wrong?

Did he have some other reason to act like that? Was that only a show? Did he do all that just to keep his father away from me?

_That _is_ a possible explanation. _

However, after changing the lock, there was no reason for him to keep doing that. Even though I didn't know when and how he managed to change it without me noticing, I was pretty sure that it happened quite a while ago.

And he had let me go outside. What was that for then? He just wanted to make me feel better? Or just gave in, because I asked him more than once? Did he feel bad to enslave me, thus he wanted to give in to my wishes?

He had held my hand… even let me ride a horse. When he hugged me from behind, it felt like we were a couple out on a date.

Was it just my wishful thinking?

The way he was looking at me now made me uncertain. What did he want from me? An apology? Or more of what I did? Maybe neither? Maybe both?

He put down the plate and left without a word. Maybe that was for the better. I wasn't sure I wanted to hear what he had to say right now.

Before I was brought here, I used to think I didn't need anyone. I used to think that even as a pet, I could be complete as long as I didn't give in to them. I tried to shut my eyes to how frozen I was becoming from the cold fangs of loneliness.

I used to think that living like this, like a caged animal was something I had to endure, but could live with. I had nothing to call my own, so I had nothing to lose or be obsessed with. That was the only thing that comforted me against my fear of the harsh reality. I had got myself used to it.

But…

…I was lonely. I was sad and I was desolated. I was supposed to be complete, even as a slave… but I just couldn't be. I didn't even have a name to call out when I was all alone and scared in the darkness.

I wanted to tell that person… because I only had one possession… because I was the only thing to protect or lose… my heart was the only thing I had to give… I clasped it tightly to my chest. I couldn't let anyone see it. I couldn't afford to let anyone take it away from me.

I wanted to tell that person that I've always been scared, bundled up in a corner, bearing with the darkness and the cold. And I wanted to tell him that I never wanted to go back there.

And now, that I finally found that person, I long for our hearts to beat together, side by side, flushed red and pulsing with love… and to become one.

I knew I was a caged animal here, but I still had the freedom to have feelings, didn't I?

Would it be such a bad thing to tell him how I felt? I knew I wasn't allowed to have feelings, for I was only a pet, but… he was different from my previous owners.

He was kind.

I knew he wouldn't punish me for liking him, not even for telling him my feelings, but… I also didn't want him to change. I didn't want him to reject me. I didn't want to see disgust or hate in his eyes as he looked at me.

But a part of me wanted this to get over with. To let that confession leave my mouth and see what would happen. Maybe… just maybe, I had a chance.

I just had to tell him those three words. I just had to let him know how much he meant to me. How much he had already healed me. How much hope he had given me. What was so difficult in that? He would probably not say anything bad… probably.

Even if it was just pity, or friendship or simply kindness to another human being, I didn't care. Not anymore. That didn't change how I felt about him. I had to tell him.

_That's it. When he gets back…_

Suddenly, the door opened and as he came in to get the plate, he looked at me questioningly after noticing that the food was untouched. He shook his head and turned to leave.

I didn't have time to prepare myself properly, but I couldn't leave things hanging between us. If we stayed like this…

_I have to stop him._

I jumped from the bed and ran to him, my bare feet practically freezing at the touch of the cold floor. When I grabbed his hand to stop him, I realized that he was just within my reach as the chain connecting to my wrist wouldn't let me move even an inch farther.

He turned to me and stepped closer so the chain could loosen a bit and not to bruise my wrist.

"Please stay." My voice cracked at the end and I had to turn away from his searching gaze.

For a while, he just stood there, but didn't make a move to remove my hand form his wrist. Suddenly, he sighed and started toward the bed, pulling me with him. He sat down and I stood awkwardly in front of him, but when he looked up, I stuttered, "C-can I sit beside you?"

His eyes narrowed as he answered, "Sure."

Feeling a bit more courageous, I sat next to him, not far, but not really close either. As I gathered my courage to say what I wanted, I felt my stomach clench and throat close up. I wanted to swallow my nerves down, but that just made me feel like throwing up.

"S-say, Aikawa…" Why couldn't I stop stuttering? "Do you… do you have time today?"

"A little."

At least he was giving me a chance to say what I wanted. Now I only had to say it. If only my thoughts would make normal sentences in my head.

The world stopped around me as I pushed the words through my lips, "I… I have something… to tell you."

Now, it was my chance to say it. I only had to say three words. _Only three_. Why was it so hard?

Of course, I knew why it was hard. I'd never confessed to anyone before. I'd never loved anyone before. I'd never fallen in love before.

I felt his gaze on me, which didn't help at all. My breathing quickened, my lips became dry as I clenched my fists to gather my courage.

I didn't expect anything to happen after I confessed. The only reason I wanted to tell him how I felt was to not feel anxious anymore. I just wanted to get rid of this feeling.

However, I couldn't imagine his reaction. What would he do? Reject me immediately? That wasn't like him at all. Ask for time to think about it? Not very likely. Leave without a word? _That_, I could imagine.

I had nothing to lose, since I had nothing to begin with. I've never had his heart or anything, so by saying my feelings out loud, the only thing that could happen was that the tension would finally leave my body and I could breathe normally again. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

Just as I was about to say those words, he interrupted my thoughts.

"Why did you do that?"

I knew what he was implying, but in this state of mind, I had no good answers to his question.

"Was I not supposed to?" was the only thing that left my mouth.

I turned to him and saw his expression change from irritation to anger. _That_ wasn't the right answer.

"You want to be treated like a slave?"

His voice scared me. He sounded a lot like his father now. Cold, merciless and disgusted. I shivered before shaking my head.

"Then stop provoking me!" he shouted at me as he stood up.

He moved to leave the room. I couldn't say anything, but I didn't want to let my chance slip away.

_Chance?_

What would I get if I told him now? He obviously hated me and despised me for what I had done. So what was the reason to try anymore? His rejection would only hurt and make things even more awkward between us.

I didn't know what I was expecting. Surely, we couldn't be lovers… he was my master and I was his slave. That was the only possible relationship between us and it wouldn't change anytime soon. Nothing more… nothing less.

I watched his retreating back and smiled sadly. He didn't have any real feeling for me, at least not ones I wanted, but he was still kind. And said kindness of his was tearing me apart.

Now he had the chance to do whatever he wanted with me, and he still chose to let me be. He still gave me time to change my mind. He still didn't push me down to punish me or relieve himself on top of me.

I felt like the days when we held hands and kissed were over. I knew that from the moment he stepped out of this room, I was nothing more than a pet. Not even a friend… just a _pet_.

I had crossed the line that kept me from being a slave. He had treated me as a friend, never even bringing up the topic of anything sexual. That was his way of giving me a way out of this lifestyle. The only way he had to offer.

He couldn't set me free, but he let me live peacefully. Or at least as peacefully as possible in a cage with a man like his father threatening me.

And I screwed it all up. Now, I had to obey his every wish, even if it meant giving him my body no matter when or how he wanted to. And even though I already let him have me once, the thought of sex still scared me a lot.

I lost the ability to refuse him. I lost the chance to be with him like we had been before. The days we spent together seemed so far away. I already lost the chance to pretend that we were lovers, cuddling after a long day, exchanging goodnight kisses.

I lost… him.

With a sad smile, I jumped from the bed and ran up to him… there was nothing else to lose… nothing.

I made my last move. I remembered that yesterday I didn't kiss him. I didn't know why I forgot, but now I really wanted to kiss him… at least once more before things went down the drain.

_If nothing else, I want to at least end it my way._

When I reached him, I grabbed his shoulder and turned him to me. Surprisingly, I found no resistance coming from him however, his expression showed anger and annoyance. He opened his mouth to say something – probably to shout at me - but I didn't let him. Clutching his shirt and pulling him close I kissed him forcibly, pushing my tongue into his slightly parted mouth.

I knew he was surprised by my actions, as he stood there, not moving an inch, with his eyes wide open. He was frozen at the spot and let me kiss him. It was the first time I initiated a kiss.

I always let him do these things, not being sure if I was allowed to start them or not. He probably wouldn't have done anything to me, but I felt shy about kissing or touching him.

With my left hand, I let go of his shirt and touched his face. I realized that it was the first time I did that… and probably the last.

It was somewhat funny, somewhat laughable, how many firsts I had with him in these last two days. Thinking back, I knew there were many more… he was the first person to tend to my injuries.

The first one to ask for my name, the first one who didn't force me, the first one to give me real food and medicine. He was the first person to take me outside. The first time I rode a horse was with him too. He was my first master to take me to his room and let me sleep in a comfortable bed.

No one before him asked about my family or how I was abducted. No one cared about how I felt after being abused. No one tried to protect me or comfort me before.

He was the first.

And he was the first I fell in love with. The first I didn't want to lose. The first one I wanted to kiss me, touch me and stay close to me.

And now he was rooted to the spot and unconsciously responded to the kiss. He moved his tongue, though never enough to dominate me.

At one point, he closed his eyes and let me continue. I didn't understand why he did that. I had expected him to push me away, but he never did. He just stood there, not responding, like a statue. That was a first too. Every time we kissed, he held me close, his hands roaming around my body, not touching any part of me that would make me feel scared.

He was way too kind to someone like me. But yeah… even if he didn't like me, my feeling would never change… and now, I was his to do whatever he wanted. Even if that meant beatings and rape.

_He's not mine anymore... but I'm still his._


	14. Chapter 13

Beta-read by Seerstella

**Chapter 13**

* * *

**Kuon's POV**

I bolted out the room as soon as I calmed down. I couldn't believe I came even though mostly I was shocked throughout the deed. Nanao climbed on top of me so suddenly that I had no time to stop him.

Even if I had time, I had to admit that I wasn't sure I would have done anything to stop him. I wanted him for so long. I craved to be inside him and hold him close. But I couldn't understand why he'd done that. I stayed away from him as much as possible, kept myself from making him do things he was scared of.

I could tell that he was terrified. I could see that. Even though he'd started the whole thing and stayed in control… he was afraid. And so… all my efforts were in vain. All my efforts to keep us from getting into an emotionless, superficial relationship turned out to be a waste of time.

Something must have happened. Nanao wasn't the type to just throw himself at the nearest person. From our times together, I could see that he was only a shy, modest person and even though the past three years changed him, he was still very kind and introvert. Even the smallest gestures made a big effect on him. I only needed a few nice words or some flowers to make him happy… to see that smile.

_I don't want to lose that smile._

I remembered when my father tried to go into the room. I remembered how scared and frantic Nanao had been. He never actually told me what happened when my father took him, but his reaction showed me everything I had to know.

Nanao wasn't like this when I first brought him here. He was scared, yes, who wouldn't be? But he didn't react that badly.

Even though he woke up in a new environment, with a stranger beside him, he didn't react that violently back then. Sure, he'd pushed me away and had knocked me out, but he still came back for me.

That day, when I entered the room, he looked like a cornered animal, ready to fight anyone who dared going near him. The fact that I ended up with a bruise showed how scared he was. He didn't even open his eyes as he stroked down to protect himself.

However, he seemed fine the next day. I tried staying away from him to give him some time to calm down. I knew he needed some space to come to terms with everything. I noticed his struggling. He was fighting with himself about something.

One time he looked dejected, sad even. The next time I visited, he seemed stoic, expressionless and deep in thought. Those transfigurations were fast and happened quite often. Once, he wore several different expressions, all very different from each other.

Then one day, when I went to his room and sat next to him, he turned to me with a strange expression. He looked… determined. Something in his eyes shone, but that light wasn't necessarily good. It somewhat scared me. He looked like he was ready to do something no matter what it'd cost him.

I feared that he was about to make another escape attempt, but he seemed too calm for that. Alright. He wasn't calm, far from it, but his nervousness seemed somewhat different than I'd ever seen. I didn't understand what that meant, and I sat a little farther from him to give him some space.

When the strange expression didn't leave his face, I moved to stand up, but he grabbed my wrist and slid a little closer to me. As he looked into my eyes with those strangely seductive ones of his, he said, "You don't have to avoid me in such an obvious way."

_Avoid?_

I wasn't avoiding him, but when I opened my mouth to tell him that, he continued, "You don't want to be in the same room with an impure thing like me? Or are you bored with me already?"

_What is he talking about?_

I was confused. When actually I ever gave him the impression that he was impure? I'd never thought of him like a slave or some dirty thing, or a pet. He was my Nanao. Someone I enjoyed being with other than my friends and brothers.

And what was that about me being bored with him?

How could I be bored with him? He was so fascinating and kind and filled with mystery in his own way. All his emotions, gestures and actions were so endearing, I couldn't help myself from wanting to be close to him.

And even though it was impossible for him to know, but the only reason I stayed away was to make things easier for him. To give him room. I'd never meant to make him feel unwanted or impure. He was one of the most important people in my life.

As I was going through things I could say to make him understand, I felt him push me back on the bed and the next thing I knew, Nanao was sucking me. It felt so good I forgot to push him away.

I tried stopping him, but when I heard myself, I realized that my voice wasn't convincing at all. I _wanted_ this. I wanted Nanao to do this to me… and much more. But something didn't feel right.

Then suddenly, he was sitting on me, frozen and breathing quickly. His eyes were shut tightly and a small tear made its way down his face. He was beautiful. So beautiful that I couldn't keep my eyes away and my hands suddenly found their way to rest on his legs.

It took me all my might to stop myself from moving. I wanted to thrust into him hard and fast, but I could tell how scared he was and how big of a step this was for the both of us. If only that feeling that something was very wrong would have left me.

When he started moving, I realized that he was forcing himself and I became angry. Angry at myself for enjoying it so much when Nanao was clearly in pain and suffering. Angry at my father for making Nanao suffer. Angry at whoever dared to kidnap Nanao. Angry at the world for making him into a slave like he was right now.

When I asked him if he knew what he was doing… what _this detestable action_ meant, he gave me an answer I'd never wanted to hear from him, "It's something I was supposed to do from the beginning."

I couldn't say anything to that as he started moving faster. No matter how much I tried telling myself that it was wrong, I soon came inside Nanao. I hated myself for that, that it felt good. When he stopped moving, I realized that not only did he not come, _he wasn't even hard_.

So this was all just me. He didn't enjoy it at all. I pushed him off and left the room as soon as possible.

* * *

And now I was sitting in my room, trying to come up with the answers to my many questions and the best solution to this situation.

_Why would he do that? _

He had never acted like a slave before, not in front of me. I told him I would not force him so there was no reason for him to force himself on me either.

_Then why? _

Did my father scare him that much? But he knew that the lock had been changed. My father couldn't enter the room. The way he touched me… and even the… sex was amazing. I wish he would've done it willingly.

_How should I talk to him tomorrow?_

I couldn't look at him the same way anymore. What happened… changed our relationship entirely. We were no longer friends. But this…

This wasn't the way I imagined our first time together to be. I took it slow on purpose. I wanted him to feel comfortable around me and let me touch him. Of course I wanted him to do the same thing to me, but there was no rush.

First, I wanted to show him how much pleasure he could get from just touching. I wanted to show him what it felt like to crave for the other. I wanted him to moan my name, dig his nails into my shoulder as I touch and taste him.

My pleasure wasn't as important. I always thought that sex could wait. As long as I had the opportunity to just kiss him and watch his smile, I was content. I wanted his heart more than his body. I knew I treated him more like a lover than a slave, but I loved every second of it.

Eventually, I wanted to get him of course. Him; as in his body. But I wanted him to enjoy it too. I wanted him to feel good, to reach the heaven in my arms. I wanted to hear the gasps, moans I could make him do. I wanted to see his blissful face, one he wouldn't show to anyone but me.

But now… now it all seemed impossible. It felt like Nanao didn't want the same things I did and I couldn't understand why he would do something like this.

He knew there was no reason to please me, that I wasn't demanding those kinds of things from him. Then why? Was he so used to this, that he couldn't go without it? Was he insecure because of my father? Was he losing his touch with reality? I knew I didn't show him enough of the outside world, but that was the least I could do. Did he forget about it?

I shook my head to get rid of the disturbing thoughts and closed my eyes. It was time to get some sleep and worry about Nanao tomorrow. After long hours of contemplating what to do and say the next time I see Nanao, I finally drifted off to a restless sleep.

* * *

The next morning, when I brought him breakfast, I stopped by the door for a moment and looked at him. Was he going to do something again? He seemed calm and maybe a bit too emotionless for my liking.

After a minute of looking into my eyes, he averted his gaze and sighed. Suddenly, he seemed to be deeply in thought and I was frozen at the door. By his expression, I could tell that he was thinking about something bad. I was scared that he was trying to gather his courage to advance on me again, so I left the plate and went back to the main part of the house.

As I entered the living room, I found my father waiting for me. My whole body froze as I looked to his eyes. He seemed angry and cold and I could only count a few things that would put him into this kind of mood.

"What happened to your face?" was the first thing he said to me.

For a moment, I didn't know what he meant and before I remembered the bruise under my eye so I tried to come up with the right answer. As I found nothing that would turn his attention from Nanao, I just shrugged, trying to appear smug.

"Nothing. Just a little accident."

His eyes narrowed. "Does this… _little accident_ have anything to do with that unnatural pet?"

"No," came my firm answer, but I could tell that he saw right through me.

"If he hurts you again, I'll show him what real pain is like."

"There's no need for that. I can handle him." I tried to maintain my confident façade and leave the room, but his next statement stopped me at the doorway.

"You changed the lock."

It wasn't a question, not even a simple statement. It sounded a lot more like an accusation. I turned around and looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"I did."

"You don't do things in my house without my permission." His voice was cold, colder than before as he stepped closer to me threateningly.

I stood my ground and looked straight into those cold brown eyes as I reproached. "I wouldn't have done that if you could keep away from that room. That quarter is mine."

"It's my house and…"

"He's mine," I interrupted. "I can surely have that right."

He looked at me with slight surprise in his eyes. It wasn't an everyday occurrence that someone interrupted him. Everyone in this house knew that he was the boss and no one was to defy him. And I did just that.

His eyes narrowed and his voice turned colder if that was possible as he said, "_I_ bought him with _my_ money."

I knew what he meant. It meant that Nanao wasn't mine, but his. He might've bought Nanao for me, but he wasn't really mine and my father still could get his hands on him. It meant that I was just a boy and he could do whatever he wanted with him. I stopped myself from shivering as I narrowed my eyes too and tried acting like him.

"If you do anything to him I'll leave this house with my brothers and you'll never see us again."

It wasn't much of a threat as I knew he could find us anywhere, but that was my last, if not only card I could use against him.

A cruel smile appeared on his face and he almost looked proud for a second. Maybe he felt he'd found an equal from me? Then he turned around and exited the room without a word.

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding when I was finally alone. Maybe I managed to buy some time to do something about Nanao. But what to do… I had no idea.

Closing my eyes for a moment, trying to clear my mind I decided to go back to Nanao to get the plate and maybe something else out of him.

When I entered the room, he suddenly looked up and seemed a bit taken aback. Wasn't he expecting me? Or was I too early? I looked at his plate and found the food untouched.

Maybe I _was_ too early. I shook my head and turned to leave when I heard the sound of the chain. Suddenly, he gripped my hand and I turned to him to find his eyes downcast as the chain held him back.

I stepped closer, not wanting to bruise his wrist with the cuff and looked at him questioningly. He seemed to be nervous and his voice cracked as he asked me to stay.

I didn't know what he wanted and even if it was a good idea to talk to him right after that argument with my father, but I walked back to the bed with his hand still holding mine and sat down.

He stood in front of me awkwardly and asked if he could sit beside me. I didn't know what was making him so anxious and gave him permission immediately.

He sat close to me. Not close enough so our legs could brush, but closer than we were lately. He looked very nervous with his hands shaking and eyes looking down. And I had to realize again how beautiful he was. How dangerously fragile he looked.

Just looking at him made me wanting to touch him and make him mine. The fact that his face as he sat on me flushed before my eyes didn't help at all.

His nervousness didn't seem to dissipate as he finally said, "I… I have something… to tell you."

That was all he muttered and a long silence engulfed us. I had a fleeting thought that he was about to do something again and needed to gather his courage to do it. He looked exactly like yesterday evening.

Suddenly, the question I've been pondering about left my mouth, "Why did you do that?"

He flinched at my voice that sounded far too loud in the silent room and looked at me, "Was I not supposed to?"

_What?_

So all that… _kind of thing_ was an obligation to him? He did that out of some sick sense of duty?

_Why?_

I told him there was no reason to do that. I told him I don't want to do these things without his consent. I told him I don't want a pet. Was he a masochist? Was he so damaged that doing what he had done seemed normal and acceptable to him?

I suddenly turned angry, so angry I could barely look at him, and I didn't even know what caused such a strong reaction as I asked him coldly, "You want to be treated like a slave?"

He flinched and his eyes suddenly filled with fear. I knew my reaction wasn't fair to him. He only did what he thought was expected of him, but that only made me see red.

When he finally shook his head, I jumped from the bed and yelled, "Then stop provoking me!"

As I turned to leave the room, the only thought in my mind was that I shouldn't have shouted at him. I never raised my voice before and there really was no reason to start doing it now.

The only thing I felt as I walked to the door was disappointment. Disappointment at losing him before even getting him. Disappointment at him for thinking like that. Disappointment at myself for reacting the way I did.

With my racing thoughts, I didn't even notice him coming after me as suddenly he grabbed my shoulder and turned me back to him. I was about to ask him what he wanted, but my question stopped when I came across with his eyes.

They looked so sad… so lonely and yet so determined.

Before I had time to say or do anything, he pulled me close by my shirt and kissed me with so much force that I froze at the spot. I never expected him to act like this and so I didn't move at all.

Somewhere in the corner of my mind, I noticed that his hand was now on my cheek and my eyes closed as I responded to the kiss. This whole scene was so unbelievable that I just let it happen. Never in my wildest dreams had I expected Nanao to kiss me or touch me like this.

But everything was so contradictory. He acted like I meant something to him; but on the other hand, his words showed that all he did was considered his duty.

_What on earth does this mean?_

Suddenly, the kiss was over and when I opened my eyes, I found an almost smug expression on his face. Without a moment of hesitation, he turned back and walked to the bed.

I didn't see him settling down as I too turned away and left the room as fast as I could. I didn't stop until I reached my room and even then, I only had the energy to touch my lips and try to slow my racing heart.

That kiss… that touch felt like something was ending. I felt like I should've said or done something to straighten things out between us. Maybe ask for his reasons or…

I shook my head to get rid of that bad feeling and looked at my phone that started ringing. The caller ID showed Izumi's name so I answered it, "Yeah?"

"Hey, Aikawa! You're free now?" His eagerness didn't leave me time to answer. "Gakki and I thought we should go out and watch a movie."

"Okay."

My answer seemed to surprise him as he didn't say anything for a moment. It usually took them more persuading to get me to go out, especially since I got Nanao. But right now, I needed the distraction. I mentally thanked them for showing up on the right time.

We decided on the time and place and I proceeded to get ready. It was surprisingly easy to forget about what had happened as I left the house, leaving a note on the living room table.

When I reached the small town that was a few miles from our home, I found my friends sitting on a bench in the little park that was surrounded with huge buildings, effectively blocking the sun, thus making hard for any flower to grow.

I sat down beside them since we had some time before the movie started. They decided on watching some senseless horror film, the ones I'd always found too bloody to actually enjoy. I wasn't particularly against blood in movies, but excessive contains of it would just ruin the story as usual.

Nevertheless, it was what they wanted, and I had no objections as long as I had something to get my mind off of Nanao. They soon noticed my bad mood and turned the conversation to the only thing I didn't want to think about.

"How's our dear Nanao?" Izumi laughed, but at my dark look, his smile disappeared.

"Fine," was my only answer to indicated that I didn't want to talk about it. Of course, Izumi never got these small sings and this time wasn't any different.

"He's one strange fellow." When my hard gaze fixed on him he continued, holding his hands in front of him in a protecting manner. "I mean… he's nice and shy, but very… how to say it… very strong in a way. And I can't understand why he fell for you."

"What?" My eyes widened suddenly.

"Don't get mad," he said quickly. "You're a nice guy and all… in your own way… but still… you're his owner and he's… well, he's a slave… and…"

"What do you mean he _fell for me_?"

"Huh?" His expression turned surprised and he looked at Aragaki questioningly. "Am I wrong? Did I say something?"

Seeing my puzzled face, Aragaki hurried with the explanation. "He seems to relax when you're around, and his eyes turn very gentle when he looks at you. Plus, he lets you touch him without really noticing it. That's very uncommon in slaves. They are always on edge, no matter how you treat them. We can see that, Aikawa."

_Nanao likes me?_

No, that wasn't possible. Why would he…? How could he…?

The little voice in my head said that it all made sense. He smiled at me so sweetly, he held my hand and snuggled close to me as we slept.

But then… why did he do that? Why did he force himself to sleep with me? Why did he…

"_I have… something to tell you."_

Couldn't be… he wanted to…

If Nanao liked me… what could have gone through his head when we kissed and spent time together? Maybe he was scared of my reaction. Or maybe he was afraid of what it meant to like me… his owner… a _man in general_.

Maybe making himself do _that_ was his way of telling me that he loved me? Maybe he couldn't say it, so he decided to show me what he felt?

His face, the shaking hands, those sad and lonely eyes… it all made sense now. Nanao liked me and tried everything he could to let me know. I was just too wrapped up in my mind to notice the signs. I knew I inherited a bit of Aniki's naïveté to be this oblivious.

I jumped from the bench and ran from the park, not even saying anything when I heard my friends shouting after me. I ran, not caring about my protesting lungs, the ache in my legs as I made my way back home. I didn't care that sweat was covering my whole body, and that my hands were shaking because I was so nervous to face him now.

I just ran and ran and ran until finally, the house was in my sight. I burst through the front door and turned to the corridor that led to the basement.

I ran down the stairs, back to that cold and dark basement room. What I had found made my heart stop.

The door was forced open by someone. As I walked in and looked around to find Nanao, I noticed the cuff that had chained him down was on the floor.

_No!_

I went closer to the bed, desperately looking around to find Nanao, even though I knew he wasn't there. When I reached the bed, I had found blood on the sheets. Not much, but that was blood indeed. A terrifying thought entered my mind.

_Father took him._

I ran to the torture room and burst through the door, but it was dark and silent. There was nobody there. Not Nanao, not even my father. Then I remembered that dark little hole in the wall and searched for him there, but he wasn't there either.

After looking through all the rooms in the basement, all the favorite torture rooms of my father, I realized that they weren't down there.

I was scared that my father decided to get rid of him… and getting rid of a slave never meant setting them free.

It meant… killing them and dumping their bodies somewhere.

Not knowing where else to look, I decided to go to the main part of the house and take a look at the security cameras' footage. If Nanao had been taken from the basement, he must be on the video.

However, as I was about to turn to that corridor, I spotted my father casually reading the newspaper in the living room. I froze at the spot as my heartbeat quickened and a question invaded my mind.

_If he's here, then where's Nanao? _

I eyed him, who seemed unaware of my presence. I didn't trust him I never did. I knew something had happened to Nanao and my father was the main suspect of it. However, the second question kept spinning in my head, looking for an answer.

_What did he do to him?_


	15. Chapter 14

Beta-read by Seerstella

**Chapter 14**

* * *

"Where is he?" I asked, making my way to the place where my father sat.

"Who?" He had the nerve to appear nonchalant and didn't even look at me.

"You know who. Nanao."

"Hm…" was all his reaction and he still didn't look up from whatever he was reading.

"What did you do to him?" My voice had turned cold, but as I looked down at him, even me hovering over him like that didn't seem to faze my father.

"Nothing."

I knew he was lying. Who else would take Nanao from that room? When a small, malicious smile appeared on his face, my suspicions were confirmed.

"I told you… if you do anything to him…" I began to make up threats.

"I didn't touch him." Now, he _finally_ looked at me.

The fact that he seemed honest scared me. I knew he did something, but he managed to get around what I threatened him with and that was frightening even for me.

"You said you won't allow me to touch him, and I didn't."

"Then why isn't he in his room?"

"Oh," he replied with a feigned surprise. "My friend was lonely and wanted something to play with. He seemed to like that… pet, so I let him borrow it."

"What?" I didn't know what to feel. The fact that Nanao was taken away somewhere with probably the same man that raped him before scared me. And I didn't even try telling him that Nanao wasn't a thing to lend to someone. I was afraid of his reaction to that.

However, I had no way of finding out where he was taken. My father's so called friends weren't stupid. They'd never take a slave… _someone else's_ slave to their own house. And I didn't even know the name of that man.

"What's the harm in that? You'll get that thing back soon. Don't worry. At least this way we can get some money back."

"What do you mean?"

"It's not like he did what he was bought for." The grin on his face turned darker when I looked away at his words. "What? Did you actually break him in?"

When I didn't answer he drew his conclusion.

"No, I can tell that you did not. Your approach won't get you anywhere. This way… this way he'll learn. He'll know his place and you won't get any resistance from him."

"But I _want_ him to resist." My only way of getting him back was to prove my father that I could be like him.

I never thought the day would come when I wanted to be like him. But here I was, trying to ensure my father that I enjoyed the game I was playing with Nanao. Even if it was no game, at least not in my opinion.

But in a way, I did. I liked how Nanao behaved. He didn't really submit to me, but he followed all my requests. He let me kiss and touch him. He blushed like a young girl when I told him how beautiful he was. At the same time, he drew back every time I tried going too far. He never let me do whatever I wanted and that fascinated me. He had resisted me in his own way.

"What do you mean?" It was my father's turn to be surprised. I noticed that he had taken the bait. He always wished that my brothers and I were more like him. Unfortunately for him, the three of us preferred out mother's behavior.

She always hated how cruel Father was. I couldn't understand why they got married from the start. I'd learnt that it was an arranged marriage between two powerful and influential families and that Mother and Father hadn't even met before the wedding, but Mother should have left him the moment she learnt how crazy the man was.

Well… I could say that she did. But she chose the wrong path.

She killed herself not long after Towa was born. She became depressed after giving birth which I'd heard was not uncommon. The fact that my father was cold to her and even hit her sometimes didn't help at all. And before we knew it, Mother took a bottle of sleeping pills and overdosed.

It must have been a shock to Aniki to find her like that, for he was the one who had been looking after her. I was too young and Father didn't care. Aniki took care of Mother, Towa and me. And after our mother died, he raised us.

We were almost always alone in this big house with only the maids and a few slaves, but they were locked away. We basically grew up with no parents. Looking at things this way; I always thought it wasn't surprising that Aniki fell for his first slave. He needed someone to love and do things for him because in this house, he was the one who did everything for us.

He had to give up his childhood to raise his two younger brothers. It was really unfair to him, but he never complained. I knew he loved Towa's smiles and that probably made it easier for him to sacrifice… basically everything for us.

I wasn't oblivious to the fact that he wanted to leave this house badly. I knew he wished to be free, for this house was a prison not only for the slaves, but for us as well. However, he never had the chance.

That's wrong. He _had_ the chance. He could have left without looking back. I was old enough to take care of Towa by myself.

But he didn't want to put that burden on me. I knew that. He didn't want to leave his brothers in the hands of this… this _monster_ we all had to call Father. And so he stayed. He stayed in the house of the man that caused his mother's death, took his childhood and killed his lover. All for the sake of his brothers.

And now, I was trying to pretend. Pretend to be like that… _monster_.

"I enjoy that he's not giving up easily. I like how he struggles. You always said that breaking them in is the fun in keeping a pet. With my method, it takes longer to break him in. That's all it is." I did everything I could to appear cold and even managed to smirk a little.

I saw satisfaction in his cold eyes, and a fake smile appeared on his face. "Well, I can tell you who has him. But I don't know where he was taken."

I don't even remember when the word _father_ became associated with sadist and monster in my head. It was hard to accept that a human could enjoy others' suffering so much… that someone actually got off on hurting another human being. But here it was, and he didn't even realize how twisted he had become.

"Fine. I'll find him." It seemed that my cold approach worked better on him. It was like he didn't even remember how badly I tried to keep him away from Nanao. Thankfully this time, it only meant the search. I could prove myself by finding Nanao with _this_ little information. I just hoped he didn't want me to prove anything by hurting Nanao.

"His name is Satonaka. That's all I give you. Now you can prove that you're my son."

I nodded coldly and turned away. I tried walking out of the room as slowly as possible, so as to not show him how scared and anxious I was. I did everything I could to appear calm and collected… _indifferent_.

I didn't turn back or stopped until I reached the basement room where Nanao was supposed to be. I looked around, this time to look for clues. I wasn't surprised that none could be found. The only thing that indicated something was the blood on the sheets.

I sat down on the bed and pulled the pillow to myself.

_Think. I have to think. _

Nanao was in danger. Who knew what that man would do to him? I had to get him out of there. I had to get him back.

_Think. I have to think._

Okay. So I had a name. I could look up his properties. _No, no, no_. There are probably more than one Satonakas in the country and it would take too much time to gather the information I need and even then, I had to go and take a look at all the properties. That would take days or even weeks. By that time Nanao could be…

_No! Don't even think about that!_

My father said that man borrowed Nanao. So he had to bring him back and that meant that he couldn't kill him… but he could still torture him. I couldn't let that happen. I couldn't just sit down and wait until this Satonaka came with a battered Nanao.

_What to do? What to do?_

I needed help. But from who? My father would expect me to go to Aniki for help, but that would just prove him that I wasn't just wanting my slave back, but also someone I cared about.

_Then who?_

Aragaki and Izumi.

It was a long shot, and they weren't even from influential families, but together, maybe we could pull some strings… or come up with some sort of a plan.

I jumped from the bed and ran all the way to the main part of the house, where I slowed down in case my father was still there. I looked around cautiously as I entered the living room and found it empty. Towa was probably at the summer school and Aniki was most certainly working. Maybe my father went back to work too.

Just to be on the safe side, I walked casually to the front door and closed it behind me without making any sound. From there, I walked to the front gate where I found one of our cars and the driver just got out.

"Take me to the Izumis!" I said and went to sit in the back. The man nodded and soon we were on our way to town.

In the car, I pulled out my cell phone and called Izumi. Thankfully, he picked up rather soon.

"Aikawa! Where did you run off to? You left without a word!" was the first thing he said before I had the chance to utter a word.

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that. Where are you?" I tried getting to the point quickly.

"We just got back to my place. Gakki and I decided not to watch that movie after you ran off." I could hear some accusation in his voice, but he was probably okay with the whole thing.

"I'm going there too. I'll be there soon."

He said okay and ended the call. It must have been obvious that something was up, for he never really let go of things this easily. When the car neared his house, I found both my friends standing at the front door waiting for me. I joined them, and we entered the house together. They didn't ask anything until we reached Izumi's room.

"What's wrong?" Aragaki asked.

It was probably very obvious that something had happened. I never knew how they did it, but they always seemed to know when something was up and they were always there for me. That was one of the reasons I cherished their friendship so much no matter what my father said.

They always knew when things got rough at home and they did whatever they could to help me feel better. And this time was no exception.

"I need your help."

They looked at me, obviously shocked. Thinking about it, this was the first time I actually said something like this to them. There were times when I ended up with their help, but I'd never really asked for it. Things always just turned out some way or another and they ended up helping me either with word or actions.

They were good friends who knew me well, and so they understood that it was hard for me to ask something like this. It wasn't in my nature to say these things, to ask for help.

But now… now I've said it without a second thought and they were gaping at me, waiting for me to continue.

"Nanao disappeared."

At that, they straightened with equally solemn looks at their faces. They probably understood my feelings more than I did. And I knew how much they liked Nanao too.

It wasn't really a surprise. Nanao was lovely and kind. Of course people would get attached to him if they spend some time on getting to know him. If he wasn't treated like a slave, he was a wonderful person.

"What do you need?"

It was strange how serious Izumi looked as he said that. He was always the energetic, talkative and funny one among us.

_Wonder how he got to be friends with us. _

Now, the forever cheerful Izumi looked at me worriedly, seeking for a way to help both me and my poor Nanao.

"I only know that a man called Satonaka took him."

"Satonaka?" Aragaki turned thoughtful as he repositioned his glasses. "Do you know what he looks like?"

I described the man I'd seen before, when my father promised someone a slave to have fun with. I was almost completely certain that he was the one we were looking for.

"That can't be." Aragaki said and turned to Izumi when we looked at him. "Don't you remember?" He asked him before turning to me. "Don't _you, Aikawa_? There was a professor called Satonaka at the university we visited last time."

"No. That man can't be a teacher." I shook my head. However, appearances can be deceiving, so I asked Aragaki if we could find a picture of him somewhere.

He nodded and silently went to Izumi's computer and typed in his name on the university's website. In a matter of minutes, we were able to look at the list of the teachers before reaching Satonaka's profile. The man that smiled at me from the picture was the exact same man that laughed together with my sadist father.

_How can someone who did that to Nanao be a teacher? How can a teacher do something like that?_

"That's him," I said and wrote his name down on a paper. We had to get the address of his property. Or properties.

"How do we get his address?" Izumi asked.

"I don't think he took Nanao to his house." I assumed, but Aragaki shook his head.

"He's a teacher. He probably doesn't have enough money to buy more than one house."

"Okay. So he might have taken Nanao there. But that still doesn't help to know where it is."

"I have an idea," Aragaki said and left the room, motioning for us to follow him.

We went to my car and Aragaki told the driver to take us to the university. Izumi and I looked at each other, then at him, but he just shrugged.

"They must know where he lives."

"The university won't just give us his address." Izumi argued. "We're not even their students yet!"

_Good point._

"We'll come up with something." Aragaki shrugged again and turned to face the road.

The ride was awfully quiet with all three of us thinking about how to do this. Soon, maybe too soon, or maybe much too late, we reached the huge brick building and made our way to the reception desk. Before I could say anything, Aragaki started in a slightly panicked tone. His tone was so novel it surprised me – and Izumi too, judging from that gaping mouth of his.

"Is Satonaka-sensei still here?"

The receptionist, a young woman, blinked a few times before checking on the computer.

"No, I'm sorry, but he left a while ago."

"No. No. No." Aragaki continued, now in a frantic tone. Izumi and I didn't dare moving and let him do whatever he planned to do. "I have to give him my paper before the end of the day. Can you call him to come here?"

"I'm sorry, but that's not possible."

"But this is very important." Aragaki seemed to be in deep thought for a moment, and then looked up at the woman suddenly. "I can take it to him if you give me his address then."

_So that's what he was getting at. _I understood immediately_._

"I can't do that, I'm sorry." The young woman seemed sorry as she shook her head.

At that point, Izumi stepped closer and leaned over the desk to look into her eyes as he replied with a smile he usually used when trying to seduce a girl. "Can't you really? It would save us."

She blushed and shook her head, trying to remain unaffected, but that was impossible when Izumi set his mind to something.

"Such a pretty lady… and we won't have the chance to see her again. We won't get the chance to attend school here if we don't submit this to the professor today," he groaned in a fake sadness and the girl looked nervous for a moment.

She picked up a pen and a paper and wrote something down before handing it to Izumi and whispering. "Here's the address, but don't tell anyone where you got it, okay?"

Izumi smiled sweetly and took her hand that still held the paper. He turned her hand and placed a small kiss on it before taking the paper from her.

She blushed and smiled embarrassedly as Izumi waved and we exited the university.

"You're skills never fail to amaze me." Aragaki sighed and took the paper from Izumi.

"I know, I know! They don't call me Casanova for nothing!"

We went back to the car and gave the address to the driver who took us to the house. Seeing Izumi's previous behavior always helped up through rough times, but now, it didn't help in lifting the tension that made the air thick around us. We sat silently as the car steadily brought us closer to our destination.

It took a good twenty minutes to get to the professor's house. It was quite a big house, especially for someone working as a teacher. It made me even surer that he had something to do with my father. The money that was spent on this house must have come from some shady businesses.

My head suddenly filled with rage and I burst through the front door, not even surprised that it was unlocked, and looked around.

I could tell that this house had no basement, so Nanao was probably upstairs in one of the rooms. In my frenzy, I didn't even notice that my friends weren't behind me. All I could think about was to find Nanao and get him back safely.

I went from door to door, finding bedrooms and bathrooms, and finally, I came across a locked door.

If Nanao was in this house – I hoped to anything he'd be here and not in another property of this pervert - that was the only place he could be. I stepped back a little and ran to the door, successfully bashing it open. The door opened after several times forcing my weight on it… and I found what I'd feared all along.

Nanao was sitting in the corner trying to hide. He was expressionless and his eyes were emotionless. He didn't seem to notice that the door was forced open. His first reaction came when I stepped closer. He flinched and his breathing quickened, but didn't move away as I approached him.

"Nanao?" I tried calling him, but he didn't respond.

When I got closer, I found that he was covered in liquids I didn't even want to think about how they got on him. He had a few bruises on his hands and legs, but he seemed otherwise uninjured.

Physically. I didn't want to count the mental state he was in.

I stepped in front of him and knelt down, taking one of his hands in mine. That seemed to get a reaction out of him. First, he panicked probably because of the sudden touch and then, when he finally recognized me, shock appeared in his exhausted eyes.

"Aikawa?" The initial shock wore off quickly and was replaced with a strange calmness.

"Come, Nanao. Let's get you back." I cooed as softly as possibly to not frighten him, but he just shook his head and didn't meet my eyes as he quietly replied.

"I don't want to go with you."

* * *

Dear Readers,

I have a question for you, yes, for **you**. Your opinion is important to me, so here's your chance to influence the story a little. My question is: Do you want Kuon to beat up Satonaka? If the answer is yes, how much pain would you like Satonaka to be in?

Thank you for your answers.

Please leave a review if you have some time.

bye for now

Hermina


	16. Chapter 15

Beta-read by Seerstella

**Warnings: **torture, candle play, smut

**Chapter 15**

* * *

**Nanao's POV**

It happened only a few minutes or maybe an hour after Aikawa had left. I no longer kept track of time. Someone was coming towards my room.

No. Not someone.

It was more than one person. I had a feeling that neither of them was Aikawa.

Suddenly, something banged against the door. It was the sound of something heavy hitting the door. The sound came again and again until the door gave in and the people came inside.

As I feared, Aikawa's father stood there. But what scared me more was the fact that the other person standing next to him was _that_ man. The man who raped me countless times when he last visited this place.

"There. You can have it," Aikawa's father said and I ran to the farthest corner of the room.

Of course, all my efforts were in vain. I was chained to the wall, so I had no way to run away from them. I don't know why, but my fight or flight instinct didn't work as I stood in the corner waiting for the inevitable.

The man, however, didn't come to me like I thought he would. Instead, he bent down, took the chain and yanked it very hard. Not expecting something like this, I fell to the ground face first. I heard them laughing at me.

I stood up quickly and ran to the bed, but that turned out to be a bad idea. Aikawa's father pushed me and I landed on it, completely vulnerable. The other man took this opportunity and pushed his knee into my stomach.

I fought against him, not caring about the cuff digging into my wrist, but suddenly something was covering my mouth. Before I knew what was happening I was unconscious.

* * *

I woke up feeling dizzy and disoriented. When I looked around, I noticed the new surroundings. While trying to remember what had happened, I stood on shaky legs and saw that I had no cuffs on me. However, that wasn't the only thing missing as I had no clothes on except for my underwear.

Suddenly, all the precious events came back to me as I remembered what that man had done. Just as I was about to look for a way out, the door opened and that hateful man stood there, smirking.

"Good morning, sunshine."

His tone made me shiver. When I looked down, I saw that he had candles and a bottle in his hands.

"Curious?"

I didn't dare looking at his face. Everything about this man made me sick and scared. I wanted to run away, run back to Aikawa, but…

_Aikawa._

Did he know that I was taken away?

Was he going to come for me?

Did he even care?

My thoughts probably showed on my face as my captor spoke up. "No one will come for you."

I felt my heartbeat quicken and I could hardly breathe. For some reason, I was sure that what he said was true. I didn't know what made me think that, maybe his tone or the confidence he showed. Either way, I knew I was at the mercy of this person, and I was all alone.

"That _boy_ won't come for you. You're just a slave."

I wanted to argue with him. I wanted to tell him that Aikawa was different. That our relationship was different, but something stopped me.

Was that really true? I crossed the line and became nothing more than a pet. I forced myself on him. Aikawa will be happy to have me off of his hands.

"That boy sold you to me."

Was I really that detestable?

After all that happened, he decided to get rid of me. He wanted to be nice to me and I ruined everything. I knew he couldn't wait to get rid of me.

But now, I wanted to go back to him. I wanted so badly to go back to the past and tell myself not to do that. To hit myself for even thinking about something stupid like that. I wanted things to go back to normal. I wanted to go back to when we spent time together reading, holding hands, _kissing_. It was so peaceful and nice. I wanted to go back to that time.

In my misery, I barely noticed the man advancing. He lit the candles and put them on the floor. Then he pulled out four cuffs from his pockets and proceeded to cuff me to the bed. Both my legs and arms. I even forgot to put up a fight then, I was too busy with my thoughts.

The thing that got my attention was the hot wax that was dripping on my upper body from the candle he now held in his hand.

The hot liquid burned my skin and soon my whole body was inflamed and covered with wax. I squeezed my eyes shut trying not to shout out so I didn't notice what he was about to do until it was too late.

He grabbed my chin and pulled it towards him, and before I could do anything, he pushed his thing into my mouth. I almost chocked as my eyes flew open. I wanted to fight him, but I was tied up and couldn't do anything.

I saw an evil but satisfied grin on his face. He enjoyed my every reaction. Suddenly, he started thrusting into my mouth and he didn't need much time to come. I closed my eyes, trying to forget about what was happening.

This method helped me a lot long ago. Before I knew Aikawa, the only thing I had to do when these monsters came at me was to think about something else. It usually helped, not much, but it made it more bearable.

I just thought about what I would do if I could leave that place and everything became a bit brighter. However, since meeting Aikawa, I didn't have to do that. And when I was forced to do these, the only thing that came into my mind was Aikawa. His face, his eyes, his voice. And it made the whole thing worse.

I didn't want anyone to do these things to me anymore. I wanted to preserve myself for Aikawa and when someone violated me, all I could think about was the disappointment I was causing to him.

So this time too, I wanted to get out of this and spit the come out, but he didn't let me. He forced me to swallow it, but there was a lot that got onto my face too. I had no way of cleaning my face and the semen in my mouth left a bitter taste.

He got away from me and took off the cuffs. My burnt body felt so heavy that I just laid there as I watched him open the bottle he brought with him and pour it on me.

I almost screamed as the vinegar made my bruises sting, but I resisted. Just when I thought that he might be doing something to ease my pain, he had to pour that _vinegar_ on me. Not only the burns ached, but I still had some bruises on me from my previous struggle.

However, no matter how much it hurt, I didn't want to give him the satisfaction. So I clenched my teeth and tried taking deep breaths. When I chanced a glance at him, I saw how much he enjoyed this whole thing and I felt disgusted.

_Sick bastard._

There was some noise coming from outside and he instantly became serious. He stood up and left the room not forgetting to lock it behind him.

I stood up and walked to the corner as someone ran around in the corridor. Reality sunk in as I thought about what had happened.

I was sold to this man. Aikawa got fed up with me and I was kicked out, and this cruel man was my new owner.

Aikawa hated me enough to sell me to this person. After finally finding some happiness, I had to screw everything up. Now I reap what I sow. I should have kept my feelings to myself and do what Aikawa had said. I missed him so much. Why did I have to do that? Why couldn't I just say that I loved him? Why did I force myself on him? Why?

_I'm sorry. Please forgive me. I want to go back. I…_

Suddenly, someone walked into the room. I had no energy to move away, and honestly, I no longer cared about what happened to me. I just wanted to get it over with and rest; trying to remember the good times I had had with Aikawa.

But my mind, the cruel thing it was, only brought up the bad memories. Things I didn't want to remember. Like my previous owners and the things they did to me and my currents captor's words.

No good memories came. All I could remember of Aikawa was his face when I had forced myself on him. His anger and disgust was the only thing that haunted my mind.

However, that person came closer and closer until he stood right in front of me. He knelt down slowly and took my hand.

I panicked. I didn't want to see him again. I didn't want him to do things to me. I didn't…

_Someone's calling me._

My name. That man said my name. But… he didn't even know it. The only person who knew my name was…

"Aikawa?"

_He came for me._

Somewhere deep inside, I knew he would come. Even if he hated me, he would never abandon me. He was the only person that cared. Even after all I'd done, he still came to take me away from here. He sure was too kind for his own good.

How contradictory we both were. I knew he was fed up with me, but I still knew he would not abandon me. I knew he hated me, but I also knew that he cared for me. He was just that type of person. The one you could never understand. His actions made me believe he hated me, but as soon as I saw his face, I knew he cared for me.

And I was just as unpredictable as him. Right now, I wanted so badly to go with him, but on the other hand, I wanted to get away from him.

"Come, Nanao. Let's get you back."

_Back?_

I had no right to go back to that place. I always did the wrong thing. He deserved someone better. I wanted to be with him, but at the same time, I knew I didn't. If I went back to that house… I had to pretend that I had no feelings for him.

I had to be a slave instead of a friend or a lover. I had to turn into a pet and I didn't want that. I wanted so much more from him… but I had no right to ask for anything.

"I don't want to go with you."

I couldn't see his expression; it was blurred by my own tears. I felt them gather in my eyes, so I looked away. I had to make him go away somehow. I had to make him leave me. We had no future. I couldn't imagine my life with him.

"Just go… please."

I squeezed my eyes tight and could faintly feel him using a handkerchief to wipe my face clean. In our reunion, I even forgot about my shameful look… my face dirtied by another man.

"Why?"

I opened my eyes in disbelief. I thought I imagined him saying that. But he looked at me with determination in his eyes and I realized that he honestly wanted to know the answer.

"I didn't want you to see me like this and…"

"And?" He leaned closer and I couldn't take me eyes away.

"And… I… I…"

"You what, Nanao?"

His eyes… I couldn't look away from them. His voice made my whole body shiver. I forgot everything I wanted to say. Everything I'd prepared to say in case he decided to come for me.

"Please answer me."

He came dangerously close and suddenly, his hand touched my chin and brought my face close to his. Our lips almost touched and I could feel his breath on my mouth as he continued. "I can't hear you."

_He knows._

The look in his eyes, his tone, the way he touched me. They all seemed to say that he knows. Even if I didn't tell him, he figured it out. And now, now he wanted me to say those words out loud. The hardest thing I'd ever had to do, but I had nothing to lose.

"Love you…"

I said it. I felt somewhat relieved. Like a load was off my shoulders. For a moment I thought he wouldn't do anything.

But the next moment, he pulled me close and kissed me roughly. I tried pushing him away and when he looked at me questioningly I told him what should have been obvious.

"Just now… I used my mouth to…"

But he never let me finish the sentence. Aikawa pulled me close and kissed me hungrily. Suddenly, his hands were all over me and I found it strangely comforting. He broke away to catch his breath and helped me up. He took off his jacket and put it on me before taking my hand and leading me out of the room.

We walked down the stairs silently and found his friends, Izumi and Aragaki, holding my captor back.

Suddenly, Aikawa let go of my hand and walked closer to that man. Without a word, he raised his hand and punched the man in the face. The two young men let go of him that instance and the man hit the ground with a loud thud.

Aikawa looked at him one last time with pure anger in his eyes then turned away and took my hand again. I could see the hidden message in his eyes. They seemed to say something like 'If you ever lay your hands on him again…'

I shivered just thinking about it, but the man on the floor didn't even flinch. He stood his gaze before turning away just a moment before Aikawa did the same thing.

We went to the car and I sat in the middle with Aikawa still holding my hand. The ride back was deadly silent, even though it didn't feel uncomfortable. We dropped Aikawa's friends off at Izumi's house and rode back to the mansion after Aikawa thanked them for their help.

As we entered the house, Aikawa led me to his room and pushed me into the bathroom. He let me take a shower and gave me some of his clothes to wear. However, when I came out of the bathroom, he pulled me close and kissed me just as passionately as before. His hands were all over me again and soon I found mines on him.

After that breathtaking kiss, he looked at me, seemingly asking for my permission and I nodded. He didn't need any more encouragement and I started losing the clothes I just put on. Before I knew it, we were lying on the bed with Aikawa on top of me.

For a moment I felt scared, but one look into Aikawa's eyes reassured me that he would never hurt me. I felt his hands travel down my body, making me anxious, but a new feeling appeared along with the fear. A strange anticipation came over me, and I noticed that his touch felt really nice.

Very soon, I found myself without clothes and Aikawa's hand was on me. He touched my thighs and balls and everything, and for the first time in my life, I understood why people liked this. I felt something build up in my lower abdomen and soon I became hard.

In the back of my mind I registered that his lips were also all over me. I felt him shower my upper body with kisses.

He started with kissing me on the lips, then he went to my chins and slowly made his way down my neck. I felt him linger a bit on my neckline then the kisses continued down my chest until reaching my nipples.

When I flinched and gasped at his touch, he took it as encouragement and continued to assault my right nipple. His other hand, the one that was not working on my lower parts came up and played with the other bud.

Very soon, I found myself in a mess, tears running down my face with ragged breathing and widely beating heart, but he didn't stop.

He continued his ministrations until I couldn't take it anymore and came. When I came down from the high, my first ever orgasm, I saw him cleaning his hands, seemingly finished with his work, but I wanted more.

"Don't stop!" I breathed out, still trying to catch my breath.

He looked at me thoughtfully for a long moment before placing his hands back on my body.

Soon, maybe too soon, I found myself in the same state I was before. But this time, Aikawa went a bit farther and put his finger in me. I flinched even though I expected it.

He took it slow, only adding the next finger when I was used to the intrusion, acting like it was my first time. In a way, it was. This was the first time I made love instead of having meaningless and emotionless sex.

Now, I could show him how much he meant to me. If my words weren't enough, I could always say it with my body.

Suddenly, he twisted his fingers and I gasped. What he touched made me see stars and soon he brushed it again. And again and again until I could barely breathe.

However, the sweet feeling disappeared when he pulled out his fingers and I felt strangely empty without them. The feeling didn't last long as I felt something bigger pushing against me.

When I opened my eyes, I noticed Aikawa looking at me, asking for permission one last time and I nodded again.

He slowly pushed inside and waited until I got used to the feeling. For the first time, I felt him tremble. When I looked at him, I saw that he had his eyes closed and his breathing was as irregular as mine. He waited until my body relaxed a bit.

He started moving. First slowly, but then he gradually picked up speed and soon he was thrusting into me, and it felt good. He constantly brushed that spot inside me that made me lose my mind and before I knew it, I lost the ability to say anything.

Suddenly, he stopped and when I looked at him, he leant down, encircled me with his strong arms and pulled me us into a sitting position. My hands found their rightful place around his neck and we both leaned in for a kiss.

It was the sweetest kiss I'd ever had. It was filled with emotions I had no name for and promises I was certain we both intended to keep. The kiss ended much too soon for my liking and he pushed me back down again.

"Sorry…" he started. "…but I'm already losing control. I may become I little rough."

The small part of my mind that could still make small coherent sentences reacted to his words. "It's alright… as long as… you like it…"

That seemed to make him lose what little control he still had and he began to pound into me earnestly. However, I didn't mind it at all. In fact, I found it enjoyable as the pressure down there started to build again.

Even though he was rough, I could feel his intentions, his feelings as we made love on his bed.

Soon, the pressure became unbearable and I came on our stomachs. That was the last straw for Aikawa as I felt him releasing himself in me.

"I love you," was the last thing I said before falling asleep after the intense love-making.

* * *

The next time I woke up, I found Aikawa sitting on the bed, looking at the door intently. When I turned to see what he was staring at, I froze in the bed.

At the doorway, Aikawa's father stood with a satisfied and smug grin on his face.

"I see you've found him."

Aikawa didn't respond to that, only kept his hard gaze on the man.

"So you really want this one. You even went against me." He took something from his pocket and threw it on the bed.

We both looked at it. There was a ring and a penis ring there, but something was different about them. Those things seemed to be a pair. When I looked up at Aikawa, I found surprise in those dark eyes.

A moment later, he turned back to the man at the door, but before he could say anything, his father continued. "You win." With this, he turned away and left the room.

The tension left my body immediately, and the strange new objects caught my attention again. "What are these?"

"A pet ring and an owner ring."


	17. Chapter 16

Beta-read by Seerstella

Note: The story is up on my LiveJournal account under the same username. (In case it gets deleted here due to the MA content)

**Chapter 16**

* * *

**Kuon's POV**

"A pet ring?"

His puzzled expression as he regarded the two small rings made me wonder about his knowledge of slavery. Maybe his previous owners didn't even _think_ about this way of keeping him. Or he was too violent to be given space. That was also possible.

I remember the shop owner saying that no one could tame Nanao, so that was probably the reason why he was never given any kind of freedom.

"You've never seen one?" I asked while taking the rings. When he shook his head, I started my explanation. "These two rings are a pair. The bigger one is a penis ring for the slave and the smaller one is a ring that the master has to wear."

The way he looked at the rings in my hand left me confused. With only this little information, he should be cautious, but instead he looked… amazed and fascinated.

"What do they do?" Finally, he looked at me and his curiously shining eyes almost caused me to tackle and ravish him on the spot, but I resisted and continued with my explanation.

"You have to wear the penis ring and with the other one, I can make you feel pleasure or pain."

The last word successfully wiped everything from his face and for a moment, and soon, I could see panic in those blue eyes.

"That's not all. If you wear the ring, it means you're mine and no one can hurt you or take you away from me." I continued to reassure him that nothing bad would happen to him. "As long as I have the other one, no one can touch you."

As relief appeared in his features and his tense shoulders relaxed, I felt more confident in explaining what this meant. I sat down and took his hands after putting the rings in between us.

"There are sensors in the ring." At his now confused expression, I continued. "There's a tracking device in it. You know what that is, right?"

"Yes," he nodded slightly.

"With this on you, I'll always know where you are. Also, there are sensors at the borders of our land, and if you try to leave, the ring will hurt you. This is to prevent you from running away. But as long as you are with me, you can leave the land."

"But what if I take it off?" The mention of pain didn't seem to frighten him this time, his curiosity seeming to get the better of him.

"You can't. It's designed so you can't take it off. Only the person wearing the other ring can."

"Oh," was his only response.

"It doesn't hurt or cause you any harm while it's on." I felt the need to calm him and make him understand, for this meant a great deal to us. "And you can go to the town with me."

My last sentence seemed to lift his mood and he didn't even know yet how much more it meant.

"Nanao," I tried getting his attention as he stared at the rings in wonder with a content smile on his face. "If you wear this you won't have to go back to the basement room."

He looked at me with wide eyes, for a moment not believing what I said before a big, happy smile slowly appeared on his face. With brightly shining eyes and that breathtaking smile, it was impossible not to do anything to him.

So I leaned closer and kissed him lightly on the lips. He flinched but didn't pull away and let me deepen the kiss. It was not a hot, demanding kiss, but filled with passion nevertheless.

I let go of his hands and pulled him closer. He didn't try to resist and this time, Nanao wasn't passive as we kissed. His hands came up to my upper arms and pushed himself even closer.

The moment was over when we had to separate to get some air. Nanao was blushing and breathing hard, but the smile didn't disappear from his face. His hands slowly slid down my arms and we went back to our original position, holding hands.

"Do you know what it means that we got these rings?" I asked and he shook his head. "It means that my father acknowledged you as mine. He won't hurt you anymore."

For a moment, I noticed his breathing hitched and he didn't say anything. After the initial surprise wore off, he opened his mouth to say something, but then he closed it. He repeated this a few times before finally saying what he wanted.

"Then… then I can… I can be… with you?"

"Yes." I squeezed his hands lightly and found tears gathering in his eyes. "Why are you crying?"

He shook his head but didn't say anything. I pulled him even closer and hugged him. Nanao rested his head on my chest and I could feel him shedding silent tears.

"I love you, Aikawa." I heard him whisper and squeezed him tighter until he started laughing.

"Geez, I'm sweltering here, Aikawa!"

The happy, playful Nanao made _me_ happy and as I squeezed him even tighter his half-hearted protests continued. "I'm not going anywhere, so let me go!"

"Don't want to…" was all I said in a rare petulant tone which triggered his laugh. Nanao wiggled a bit in my hold until he was more comfortable then he hugged me too and became quiet again.

The peaceful moment was disturbed by Nanao's growling stomach. I let him go and he looked down in shame, his face bright red.

"Hungry?" I asked and he nodded slightly. "Let's get you something to eat. But first, we need a shower and… we should put the rings on."

He nodded and stood up. We went to the bathroom attached to my room and soon, we both were standing under the rain of water. The closeness of a naked Nanao was driving me mad, but I didn't want to take advantage of him now.

However, I found myself pulling him close and kissing him passionately under the spray of water. I would have gone further if not for Nanao's grumbling stomach. He probably didn't have anything to eat while he was kept in that man's house.

As we dried ourselves with towels, I reached for the rings. "Can I…?" I held up his and he nodded.

I saw uncertainty on his face but he didn't step away or try to stop me in any way.

"It's not going to hurt. It might be a little uncomfortable at first, but you'll get used to it soon."

He nodded looking a bit less frightened and let me place the ring on him. The tiny object heated up a little as it connected with Nanao's flesh then settled down nicely.

Nanao let out the breath he was holding and looked down to see how it worked. "I could take it off easily."

"No. It's adapted to you and won't come off. Think of it as a mole. But if my ring touches it while trying to pull it off, it'll slide down easily."

Nanao looked at the small device with fascination for a while until he realized how it looked and averted his gaze as a blush appeared on his face as I put the other ring on my middle finger.

I couldn't help the small smile that appeared as we exited the bathroom to get some clothes. Fortunately, some of the shirts and jeans I bought for Nanao were in my room and so we didn't have to go to the basement.

After getting dressed, we made our way down to the kitchen to make something light. Nanao let me hold his hand as we went down the stairs. However, when we stepped into the kitchen and found a few of the maids looking at us, he let go of my hand and stepped behind me to avoid their searching gaze.

I decided to not make breakfast and instead accepted something they made and we went back to my room to eat.

Breakfast was quiet but enjoyable. I caught Nanao glancing at me a couple of times, and each time I did, he looked away and blushed. The same thing happened whenever out hands accidentally touched as we took the food from the tray.

Sadly, I had to leave the adorably blushing Nanao as I had school that day. He seemed disappointed when I began to get ready, but didn't say a word.

"You can walk around in the house, but try not to get near my father." I warned. " Just in case."

I leaned down and kissed him one last time before exiting the room. Nanao probably won't be bored since there were quite a lot of books in the room.

I knew that his relative freedom was so new and exciting that he wouldn't even think about running away. Not like he had any chance. The pet ring wouldn't let him leave the premises and the phone can only be used after typing in a password.

The day went by very slowly and even after my classes were over, I had no idea what they were about. All I could think about was my playful Nanao on the bed, moaning and gasping under me. I had to admit that last night was the best night of my life and I expected to have more of these passionate encounters.

As I made my way back to the house, I found a shop selling costumes. I couldn't stop wondering how Nanao would look like wearing one of them.

However, I had a little problem.

My father would never give me money to spend on a slave. If I wanted to buy something for him, I had to get my own money. Continuing on the journey home, I passed a café that had a sign on its door. I walked closer to find 'Help Wanted' written on it and immediately entered the store.

As I stepped inside, I found two men in aprons serving customers with cold drinks. One of them noticed me.

"A table for one, sir?" he asked but I shook my head.

"I'm here because of the job."

"Oh. Then please follow me."

He led me to the back of the store and into a small room where I found a rich-looking woman reading at a huge table. It was so big that the room looked even smaller than it really was. The woman looked up and nodded to the waiter to leave. She had long light-brown hair with big waves. Her eyes reminded me of Nanao and she wore make-up probably to hide her age.

She looked at me from head to toe and a satisfied smile appeared on her face.

"I'm Takigawa Ayako, the owner and manager of this shop. You have quite a look, so you're in. You'll be a waiter and the others will teach you everything you need to know. You can start on Monday. So what's your name, handsome?"

"Aikawa Kuon."

At the mention of my name, her smile disappeared and curiosity replaced the previously satisfied expression.

"And why does an Aikawa boy want to get a job? Aren't you rolling in money up in that mansion of yours?"

"Do I have to give you my reasons to get the job?"

She looked at me intently before answering. "No, of course not. I'm just curious."

I didn't say anything to that and she seemed to understand what I wanted and dropped the subject.

"I guess you're a university student, so we have to arrange your shifts according to your classes. Bring your timetable with you on Monday and we'll work something out. We can talk about the details, like your salary on Monday too."

"Thank you."

"See you later, handsome." She waved at me with the smile back on her face.

For some reason, the way she called me irked me and didn't really bother me at the same time. She was teasing me for who I was, but at least she didn't pressure me for reasons. She seemed like a good boss and I really just wanted to get some money I could spend on Nanao.

* * *

When I got home, I found Nanao on my bed reading one of my books. He looked up when the door closed behind me and smiled. Before I realized what I was doing, I found myself kneeling on the bed and kissing him passionately. For a moment, his eyes were wide open before they closed slowly and we both drowned in the feeling of each other.

"How was your day?" he asked when we parted.

"Long."

I had no intention of telling him about the job in fear of him feeling uncomfortable. I knew him well enough to predict his reaction. He would tell me he didn't need anything and I would end up giving in to him. I told him a little about my new school and how my friends were almost always with me.

"Can I go to the town sometime?" his question was so quiet I could barely hear it. He looked down, most probably expecting rejection.

"Yeah. If the weather is good tomorrow, I'll take you out."

"Really?" His eyes shined again, my favorite smile on place. He looked so happy with just this, it made me think about what else could I give him or do to make him like this, or even happier.

I nodded and leaned in for another kiss. I noticed that whenever Nanao was happy, he was more eager to participate in these things. As soon as our lips met, his arms came around me and he opened his mouth to let my tongue slip in.

We kissed until we ran out of breath and after a short pause, continued the lip-locking. The kisses turned more and more passionate and before I knew it, Nanao had no shirt on and we were lying on the bed.

Since he didn't seem to mind my advances, I went further and started kissing him on his neck and shoulders.

"Aikawa," he was repeating my name with almost every kiss I left on him and his hands grabbed my shirt.

I soon felt both of us getting hard so I proceeded down his chest until I found his nipples. He gasped when I started playing with them. I took his right bud into my mouth and used my left hand to play with the other. My other hand slowly made its way down until I reached his jeans. I slid my hand further down until…

Suddenly the door opened and someone stared shouting.

"Kuon, I can't believe how Towa could…"

We were all frozen. I had one of my hands on Nanao's chest, the other in his pants. Nanao was panting and blushing but his eyes were wide as he realized that someone walked in on us. And the intruder, my older brother was frozen in midsentence in the door as he looked at us.

"Ku-kuon… what are you…? I mean I… You two… ummm… sorry," was all he uttered as he slammed the door shut after leaving the room.

I looked at Nanao and found him watching me. "I better go after him," I said and went to the door.

Thankfully, the surprise we got from someone bursting into the room was enough to turn both of us down and so I didn't have any trouble going after him. When I opened the door, I found Aniki still standing there with a dumbfounded look on his face. After a quick look at Nanao, who had redressed himself rather decently, I invited Aniki in and he reluctantly followed me into the room.

He looked at Nanao almost apologetically as he took a seat by my desk. When I settled down on the bed, Aniki started complaining again.

"I can't believe Towa. He came home with a friend that looks like a delinquent."

I almost laughed and Nanao smiled as he also recalled the moment when Towa told him he wanted to be a delinquent when he grew up.

"Onii-san, it can't be that bad," Nanao suddenly said and my brother froze for a moment.

I didn't think they had had much conversation in the past, and Nanao probably seemed like a stranger to him. A stranger who wanted to butt into his family matters, no less.

"Where is the cuff?" Aniki changed the subject suddenly, successfully wiping the smile off of Nanao's face.

"Father gave him a pet ring," I answered and saw how Aniki saddened. I knew what he was thinking about. Kae… the girl who didn't survive Father's so called test. Before the mood darkened, I hurriedly changed the subject again. "I don't think you should worry about Towa."

At the change, they both looked at me, totally understood that this topic was better left alone.

Aniki sighed. "But he's such a good kid. He shouldn't associate with the likes of… that boy."

"You're starting to sound like Father." It slipped out before I could do anything about it.

But it was too late. The damage was done as I looked at Aniki and saw his horrified expression. I wanted to take back my words or reassure him that I was wrong, but he beat me to talking.

"You're right, Kuon." He was quiet and dejected. I knew that I deeply hurt him with what I just said, but I didn't know how to make him feel better. I was never really good with words.

"Onii-san's nothing like that man." Nanao came to help out and we both looked at him. "Onii-san's just concerned for his little brother. I think that's admirable."

A relieved and thankful smile appeared on Aniki's face and I slid closer to Nanao to take his hand. Aniki didn't talk for a while, but finally he broke the silence with another sigh and a short sentence.

"So you found The One."

It wasn't a question or an accusation. He just stated the fact with a sad but kind smile. Nanao didn't seem to understand what he was talking about but I did and that was enough for now. I nodded.

Aniki stood up and made his way towards the door. Just before he left, he turned back to us and said, "Thank you, Nanao-san."

As the door closed, the room became silent. When I turned to Nanao, his eyes were wide as he stared at the closed door.

"…_san_? Nanao-_san_?"

"He must approve of you if he decided to use honorifics with you."

"Really?" His hopeful expression turned into a joyful one as soon as I nodded.

He slid closer to me and we spent the rest of the day just resting and looking out the window from the bed. Nanao spent the night in my room again, but this time, he had no nightmares as he lay in my arms, a hand grasping my shirt tightly.

* * *

I woke up first, and since I had no way of getting out of bed without waking Nanao up, I settled for watching him.

He had a small smile on his face as he slept, his hand still holding my shirt, but somewhere along the night, he scooted even closer to me and now we had our arms tangled as well as our legs. As I watched him, the only thing that came to my mind was how adorable he looked.

It was about half an hour later that he began to stir. His eyes opened slowly and for a moment, I was sure he didn't know where he was or who I was. But before panic kicked in, he recognized me and a sleepy smile appeared on his face.

That smile and bed hair made him look like a small child clinging to his parents after spending the night in their bed because of a nightmare. I ruffled his hair a little and he closed his eyes.

"Don't go back to sleep."

"Why?" His voice was sleepy and he didn't open his eyes.

"I'm taking you to the town."


	18. Chapter 17

Beta-read by Seerstella

**Chapter 17**

* * *

"Outside? To the town?" Nanao's eyes were shining and he seemed more alert now.

"Yes. Go get changed!"

I didn't have to say it twice; he bolted out of the bed and took the clothes I'd given him yesterday. He was really quick; he was ready and anxiously waiting by the time I got my trousers and socks on. I noticed that he still didn't dare urging me or say anything, but his fidgeting next to the bed told me all I needed to know.

I quickly pulled on a shirt and took his hand to get something to eat.

"Aren't you taking a coat or something?" he asked and I stopped by the door to turn back to him.

"We have to eat something before leaving."

"Oh," was his only reaction and I could see the light in his eyes seemed to dull a little.

"We'll leave right after breakfast." For some reason, I had to get that shine back. What I said seemed to work, as I saw a smile appear on his face.

For breakfast, Nanao didn't have much. I didn't force him because he seemed very excited about our little trip. I didn't think he had been in the company of other people since he'd been abducted. Plus, we could always grab something to eat in the town.

After finishing the very quick and light breakfast, we went back to my room to grab my wallet and some thicker clothes in case the weather turned bad. Nanao seemed to be more excited up until we reached the gate. There, his expression turned to one of frightfulness.

I knew what was troubling him, so I took his hand and led him out. When I looked at him again, I saw that his eyes were screwed shut, as if expecting some kind of punishment or pain. But as none came, he relaxed and opened his eyes.

"Stay close to me and there won't be any problems." I reminded him; though I was sure he wouldn't run away. He nodded and looked at the houses that were the first we could see of the town eagerly, but he held himself back. I half expected him to start pulling me, but I should have known he was too timid to do that, no matter how excited he was.

I led him all the way to the center of the town, all the while watching his every reaction. He had so many expressions and all of them looked lovely to me. Nanao tried memorizing every place and person we came across with and regarded the food and ice-cream stand with fascination, so I took him to get some sugar into his system.

We both had our own delicious ice-creams so we no longer held hands. I wasn't surprised that he took a long time choosing the flavors and as I expected, he picked fruit flavored ones. I went with my usual, a chocolate and a vanilla one.

In all the excitement, I haven't seen my friends; Izumi and Aragaki approaching us until they called out to me.

"Aikawa!" Izumi, happy as always, put his arm around my shoulder. "Oh, you brought the cutie out?!"

"_Cutie_?" My voice was dangerously low. I didn't like anyone looking at my Nanao, no matter if they were my friends or not.

"Don't look at me like that, Aikawa!" He held his hands up in defense. "I'm not going to take him away from you. Casanova I might be, but my friends' beloved one is a line I won't cross!"

I relaxed my suddenly very tense shoulders a little, but I knew my eyes remained wary. I knew he wouldn't do anything, but if he had such a thought, other people most probably could think the same way. And I didn't want that. I only wanted Nanao to be mine.

"He's gone, by the way." Aragaki said quietly, but that one sentence caused me to panic.

I looked around and sure, Nanao was nowhere to be seen. He was so excited he probably didn't notice me stopping.

_This is bad._

Nanao had the pet ring on. If he strayed too far from me, it would cause him pain, and if I started looking for him and went the wrong way, it would also worsen.

_Why didn't I give him a phone or something?_

My friends saw my panicked expression and offered their help. We went separate ways and agreed to call each other if any of us found him.

I ran around in the town that seemed to me like a huge city now, even though it was really small. I looked into the shops, even asked some people if they'd seen him, but none could help.

All kinds of terrible images of Nanao suffering entered my mind until my phone started to ring. I pulled it out hastily and looked at the caller ID. I felt relieved and scared at the same time when I read Aragaki's name.

"We're in the park, hurry!" was all he said.

I didn't need him to tell me twice as I heard painful gasps through the phone no doubt coming from Nanao. He was in the other direction, which meant that he was in quite a lot of pain, and it wouldn't go away until my ring came in contact with him.

I ran all the way to the park with horrible things filling my head. Nanao suffering. Nanao crying. Nanao looking at me with hurt and hatred in his eyes.

_He must've hated me now._

I never wanted to hurt him. I promised never to cause him harm and now he was in pain because of me.

As I neared the park, I saw a few people gathered around a bench so I ran to them. I knew it must have been Nanao, and I was right.

First, I could hear sobs and gaps of pain even over all the whispering. Then I saw it. Nanao was curled up on the bench, shaking and sweating while trying to hide his face from the curious onlookers. When I pushed through the crowd, I saw why he did that. Tears were streaming down his face.

I knelt down in front of him and pulled his shivering body close to mine. The shaking had stopped, but I could feel how tense his muscles were. After a few moments, I felt him relax and his hands came up to clench my shirt and pull me closer. The sobs and gasps quieted, but I could feel his tears wetting my clothes. Not really knowing how to comfort him, I rubbed his back awkwardly until he calmed down.

I only noticed that the people surrounding us disappeared when I reached into my pocket to give Nanao a handkerchief. My friends were standing not too far from us, probably trying to give us some privacy while keeping the nosy people away. I could vaguely hear Izumi shooing people and curious whispers that laced with fear over Aragaki's 'scary glare'.

After wiping his face and blowing his nose, Nanao looked at me, but what I saw in his eyes was not what I expected. He seemed tired, relieved and thankful. I was expecting him to hate me, never trust me again, but his words shocked me.

"I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?" His reactions were never what I expected from him, but this was way different from anything I could imagine.

"I shouldn't have walked off without you." He looked down and I couldn't help messing his hair up a little. I left my hand on his head and he looked up hopefully.

"You scared me, Nanao. I didn't know where you were but I was certain that you would be in pain because of the ring. I'm sorry. I never should have taken my eyes off you."

"No, it was my fault," he said quickly, but I shook my head.

I let a small smile appear on my face, hidden from my friends, as I scolded him lightly. "You should have paid attention too, but I am the one responsible here. You've been locked up for years; I knew you'd be like this. I knew you would forget about everything, but that's okay."

A small, apologetic smile appeared on his face, and suddenly I had the urge to kiss him, but I knew it wasn't appropriate to do it out here, so I held back and took his hand to pull him up.

"Let's go home."

Panic appeared on his face and he stopped moving.

"Can't we stay, please? I'll be good. I won't walk off again, I promise."

His pleas broke my heart and the begging expression he wore didn't help either, but I steeled myself.

"I'll bring you out some other time. You're still shaking. You need rest. _Now_."

He was crestfallen and defeated, but didn't object further as he let me lead him back to the house. My friends waved at us knowingly as we left the park.

The walk home was quiet and suffocating. Nanao didn't look up or said anything which made it all the more awkward. I was never one to idly chat, and he would always talk and ask questions, but now… now there was only silence. I could tell he was thinking this was punishment and I knew there was no way for me to tell him otherwise. I just had to show him somehow.

_But how?_

With a present? But I don't have enough money, and my father would never give me any to spend on Nanao. Flowers? Nah, too cliché.

As I was pondering what to do, we had arrived in front of the gate. My dilemma was solved when Alexander ran to us and jumped on Nanao. It must have taken him by surprise, as he fell onto the ground, successfully releasing my hand before pulling me with him.

For a moment, there was a stunned silence, then Nanao burst out laughing as the dog started licking his face. Nanao started patting him and continued laughing until he locked eyes with me. Suddenly, his eyes turned serious and he became quiet. Even the way Alexander licked his hand again couldn't give back the joy.

I held out my hand to him as Alexander climbed off of him and he took it with a relieved smile. It seemed this little action reassured him and he was back to normal.

We walked back to the house hand in hand until Nanao suddenly froze. When I looked at him, I noticed how stiff he was as he stared at something ahead of us with a frightened expression. When I turned to see what made him this scared, I found my father standing at the front door. I unconsciously stepped closer to Nanao as I resumed walking, pulling him with me.

As we passed my father, he didn't say anything, but even I could tell that he was doing everything he could to appear intimidating in front of Nanao. And damn it, it worked _well_.

Nanao started shaking and it didn't stop until we reached my room and the door closed behind us. After that he sighed and slid to the floor.

It took some time until he composed himself, but he remained strangely silent until we went to bed early in the evening. I never realized how much of a trauma my father had caused him.

* * *

The weekend flew by quickly and it was time for me to go to the university again and after classes I had work to do. For some reason, Nanao didn't seem all that upset about me leaving, which disappointed me a little.

However, this way, I wouldn't have to be so worried about him. I gave him a quick goodbye kiss and left before I decided to skip school in favor of spending some enjoyable time in bed with Nanao.

Time at school went by quickly with only a few strange things happening. One time, I caught Izumi looking at something behind me with fascination, but when I looked back, there was nothing and when I asked him about it, he played innocent. Then I noticed him telling something to Aragaki, sounding enthusiastic, but they wouldn't tell me anything when I asked.

The rest of the day went by in much the same fashion. I caught them whispering behind my back several times and they immediately stopped when they noticed me looking. I was starting to get pissed, but thankfully our classes ended before I had the urge to hit one of them. Or both.

I walked to the café still thinking about their strange behavior, until someone shouted not too far ahead of me.

"Hello, handsome! I didn't think you'd actually come."

When I looked up, I found Takigawa Ayako, my new boss, coming up to me with a black apron in her hands.

"Put this on and go to work! The place is stuffed with customers and we need all the available hands we can get. If you're good, I'll hire you and we can talk about the details later." After shoving the apron in my hand she turned around and entered the shop, not even waiting for me to say anything.

With a shrug, I followed her and was surprised of how crowded the small shop was. I didn't think that _many_ people would visit cafés like mine. After a quiet sigh, I put on the apron and the other waiters showed me what to do.

By the time the café was almost deserted, I felt exhausted, but managed to learn most of the things needed to know here.

Two girls around my age sat down at a table and I went to take their order. I heard them whispering about me after I left, but I didn't pay attention. I was tired and all I could think about was holding Nanao close and sleep until someone called out to me.

"Excuse me, Mr. Waiter…?"

I turned to the awfully familiar voice and almost dropped the things in my hand when I saw Nanao smiling and waving at me.

_How did he get here?_

"Nanao? How did you know I was…"

"I followed you." The smile disappeared and a sheepish expression appeared on his face.

I couldn't get angry at him even if I wanted to while he looked at me like that. Shaking my head, I slipped back into the waiter role. "So? Can I take your order?"

"I don't have any money, Mr. Waiter." He sounded playful, which I liked very much.

"I'll pay it for you."

"Then I'll have one of _you_. To go," he chuckled and I shook my head.

"Just window-shopping, I see."

Suddenly, he turned serious and started fidgeting. "Well, I was hoping…"

He was interrupted by a customer asking for his order to be taken. I didn't really want to, but I had to leave Nanao for a while. As I brought out a new order, I gave Nanao a cappuccino, but there was no chance to talk to him, because the customers kept coming.

I noticed some of the waitresses eyeing Nanao and giggling to themselves, but thankfully, Nanao seemed to be unaware of this. However, when I saw a man walking up to him, I hurried back to Nanao to tell him to wait for me until my shift was over. Fortunately, the man lost his courage and went back to his seat.

My shift ended shortly after that, though it seemed like an eternity to me. I always kept an eye on Nanao, and I wasn't a least bit happy when my new boss caught onto it and, with a wicked smile, approached Nanao before sitting down at his table.

When I finished everything, I walked up to them to find Nanao listening shyly with an awkward smile on his face as my boss laughed at something.

"I'm done."

"I see." She turned to me. "Let's talk at the back, shall we?" She winked at Nanao while saying, "I'll give him back to you in a bit."

Nanao blinked a few times and blushed when he finally understood that the woman figured us out. Or at least our relationship.

We walked back to the office, and she sat down by her desk with a serious expression as she started talking to me. "He's a slave, right?"

She caught me off guard and my expression probably answered her question. I had to think a little about how she knew it. There was no way Nanao told her and I certainly didn't say a word about it.

_So then how did she know? _

It was probably my attitude and Nanao's behavior. He definitely didn't say anything, but his actions spoke volumes and he behaved very much like a slave… always bowing down to everyone. I realized there was no point in denying the truth, but I had to correct her a little. "He's more than that."

After looking at me silently for a few moments, she changed the subject, talking about how to schedule my shifts and my wage. After everything was settled and I was ready to leave, she stopped me with her question.

"So why does a _richboy_ need to work at a café when he can ask for money from his _rich daddy_?"

There was mockery in her voice, but no ill intent, so I answered honestly. "I want to spend in on Nanao."

That was all she needed to know and she seemed satisfied with my answer as she motioned for me to go.

For my outmost annoyance, I found Nanao surrounded by people. My coworkers. He was a bit overwhelmed by so many people talking to him, but he seemed happy, and my anger disappeared when he noticed me and started waving slowly with a beautiful smile on his face. I didn't miss the blush that appeared on the waitresses face and the widened eyes of the waiters at the sight of my beautiful Nanao smiling.

What I failed to notice was my boss coming after me until she spoke up behind me. "You should bring him here again. Maybe we could even find some work for him."

"I'll think about it." I replied but there was no chance I would bring Nanao here to work. He was attracting too much attention even now. "Let's go home." I said when reaching the small crowd.

Nanao nodded and stood up to follow me without a word but the others tried to keep him a bit longer. Nanao apologized quickly and waved at them from the door.

The walk home was silent and somewhat awkward until finally, Nanao broke the silence with a quiet question. "Are you angry…?"

"Yes…"

"Did I… do something?"

"Not at all." I knew my brief answer didn't make him feel any better, so I silently took his hand and squeezed it lightly.

A relieved smile was the sign that Nanao understood my message.

The rest of the walk home also passed by in silence but this time it wasn't awkward at all. Walking home hand in hand turned out to be a very enjoyable romantic activity and I couldn't stop myself from pulling Nanao real close and kiss him senseless as soon as my bedroom door closed behind us.

Nanao gasped at my sudden action which gave me a chance to slip my tongue into his mouth to deepen the kiss. His knees gave out and so I turned to the bed and let him sit on it all the while not breaking the kiss.

I stayed standing; leaning down to continue kissing and I felt him grab my shirt. Unfortunately, we had to stop to breathe and as I straightened, Nanao let his head rest on my chest. He was panting, just like me.

"Why did you follow me?" I asked after regaining my breath.

"I wanted to know more about your life."

"You should've just told me." I leaned back a little to be able to look into his eyes. "I would've taken you with me. Besides, it's dangerous."

"I thought you wouldn't take me out after what happened the last time."

I sighed.

_What do I have to do to make him believe in me?_

"Do you want to come to school with me tomorrow?"

"Can I?" As his eyes started to shine, I nodded. "I'd really like to." After this exclamation, Nanao hugged me happily.

These spontaneous things were surprisingly nice. Every time Nanao did something like hug me or initiate a kiss, I felt the urge to give him whatever he wanted.

"How about we spend the weekend at the nearby _onsen_?" I asked without thinking.

I didn't know if I had enough money at home to pay for it or not. Father certainly wouldn't give me any. Thankfully, my boss pays every day after work not at the end of the month so at least I would have _some_ money by then.

The only answer I got from Nanao was an even tighter embrace and I could feel him smiling.

"Okay. I'll make our reservation tonight."

I just had to make it work somehow. Maybe I could even borrow some money from Aniki. If it made Nanao happy, I wouldn't mind staying in a rundown motel or something worse. This way, we could be together without worrying about someone walking in on us.

A whole weekend locked in a room with Nanao. A very happy Nanao.

_This is bound to be really good._


	19. Chapter 18

Beta-read by Seerstella

Chapter 18

* * *

The next morning, Nanao was awake by the time I opened my eyes. He seemed happy and nervous. For a moment, I didn't know why, but then I remembered the promise I had made last night. Or promises, to be precise.

I didn't forget about the _onsen_.

Yesterday early in the evening, Nanao had gone to bed, being exhausted after spending the day outside, I switched on the computer on my desk and reserved a room for us for the weekend. Thankfully, it didn't cost that much and I could probably pay for it after getting this week's salary.

As I looked at the impatiently waiting Nanao by the bed, I started to get ready for the day. He was fully dressed and eager to leave for school. I couldn't remember ever seeing someone this happy about the idea of school. I had to admit I was quite studious as a person, along with Aragaki, but even we had never been that thrilled.

After finishing with breakfast and checking that all my books were in my bag, I took his hand and led him to the front door. Since I woke up early, and we got ready very quickly, I decided to walk to the town with Nanao instead of making the chauffeur drive us like usual. It wasn't that far anyway, and Nanao could use some outside time and exercise.

The happiness emanating off of Nanao didn't lessen until we reached the campus. By the entrance, my friends were waiting for me and smiling knowingly when they found Nanao by my side.

"So you're not in incognito today?" Izumi turned to Nanao and I had to think about what he was talking about until my dear Nanao answered shyly.

"I followed him yesterday, but he agreed to bring me today."

"You saw Nanao at the campus?" I turned to my friends angrily. "That's what you were whispering about?"

They nodded, not feeling even a tiny bit of shame for not filling me in. Since Nanao was happy and looking around curiously, I shrugged and we made our way towards the classroom.

The lecture itself was quite boring and I had to make special effort to not watch Nanao as he listened to the teacher's every word with an expression of pure bliss and contentment. For a moment, I felt jealousy rise in me at the intense stare Nanao was giving to some other man, but I soon shake myself out of it.

His lips were slightly parted and his eyes shined as he absorbed the knowledge and for not even a moment did he seem lost or confused. I knew he was bright but I didn't think he could keep up with the university classes.

By the time classes ended, I had to realize that I spent the time with watching Nanao's every move instead of paying attention to what the teachers said. It was a bad idea to bring him with me. I can't think of anything but him when he's so close.

After saying goodbye to my friends, we walked to my workplace. I wasn't thrilled by the idea of taking him there, but there was no time to take him home and with the ring on, he could never go back alone.

Just as I expected, as soon as we entered, Nanao was the center of attention. The waitresses and waiters all gathered around him and even forgot about the customers. They didn't seem to mind it, since their eyes were on him too.

"So you did bring him with you, huh?" My boss came out of her office. "Let's find you an apron." She grabbed Nanao's hand and pulled him to the back where we put out personal belongings. She handed him a black apron and turned to me. "You take care of him."

Takigawa-san didn't pay much attention to us and seemed to trust me as she turned away and went back to the office.

I kept Nanao close to me as he served customers and took their orders. I saw more than a few people blush when the smiling, shining beauty brought them their orders. There were so many times I wanted to interfere or tell them that he was mine, but the smile on Nanao's face stopped me.

Fortunately and surprisingly, he didn't make too many mistakes and even when he did, everyone accepted it and let him off easily. However, for some reason, I felt relieved when the shop was finally closed.

I shouldn't have. When I turned around, I found Nanao surrounded by my coworkers just like the day before. I very much wanted to go and pull him away to run home and lock him away from curious eyes, but I held back.

It seemed that the whole day went by with me trying to keep myself from pulling Nanao from other people. I knew he needed to meet others and he was very happy right now. But what if he found someone he liked better than me? What if he wanted to get away from me? I could never let that happen.

We finished cleaning which took more time than yesterday, since everyone was so infatuated with Nanao. After everything was done, Takigawa-san invited me and Nanao to her office and gave us our salary for the day.

Nanao looked surprised and amazed at the same time. He probably didn't expect to be paid for the work as well. And as we left, he bowed deeply and thanked her several times.

On the way home, Nanao was practically jumping in happiness, the money safely tucked in his pocket and he ranted on and on about how great the day was. My resolve to not take him with me the next day crumbled and I let a small smile appear while watching Nanao, not really paying attention to what he was saying.

At home, Nanao stopped by the door and looked uncomfortable. With his hands in his pockets, he was looking at everything but me, thinking about something. I watched him for a while and finally our eyes met.

The way he looked at me was strange and I didn't know what to say or do, until he sighed and stepped closer. Nanao pulled his hand from his pocket and reached out to me.

"Here."

I looked down to see the money he got from working today in his hand. The look in his eyes was certain now but I didn't move to take it from him.

"Why are you giving it to me?"

"I can't use it." The answer was quiet and I could feel pain in it.

I didn't even think of that. Nanao was locked up in here, not given a chance to buy anything. However, now that he was going to the university with me, he could buy some ice cream or drinks with the money.

For a moment, I remembered about the trip I was planning for the weekend and though about taking the money. That way I wouldn't have to borrow from Aniki and I could always pay Nanao back or buy something useful for him like clothes or fruit.

But the look on his face when he received the money flashed before my eyes and I stopped. Nanao was so happy about getting paid for the work he did. His joy lasted even after we got home and I had no right to take it from him. He earned it and he should be the one to spend it too.

"You'll be able to use it."

He stared at me, wide-eyed with his hand still stretched out and didn't move. When I saw that he was too stunned to do anything, I reached out and closed his fingers around the money.

"It's yours. You do whatever you want with it."

"Then I want to give it to you," he said, eyes never leaving mine.

"Why? Don't you want to buy something?"

"I have everything I need."

That sentence surprised me. Sure, he had clothes and food. Sometimes, I brought him books to read. But surely, he had something he wanted.

It took me a few moments to realize that Nanao wasn't the type to want things. He was far too kind for his own good and didn't care about materials. He probably wanted to thank me for all that I'd done for him.

"You can buy some sweets tomorrow."

There had to be something he wanted. There just had to be. I knew that he was locked up for years without getting proper food, with no real clothes. I knew that what he had right now was more than he had in the last few years all together, but still. There had to be something he wanted.

"I don't need anything." He smiled but his eyes were a bit sad.

I knew what he wanted, but that wasn't something he could buy. At least not with this little money.

He wanted his freedom. He wanted to go home to his family to live happily and never think about all the years filled with pain and suffering.

As I opened my mouth to say something, he shook his head and smiled again. I would have given anything to erase the deep sadness I saw in those beautiful blue eyes. I felt powerless. The only thing my dear Nanao had ever wanted… and I couldn't give it to him.

I pulled Nanao to my desk and took out an old toy box I kept that was a present from Towa and opened it.

"Let's put the money here. We can take it out if needed."

His smile became brighter and he laid the money in the box, carefully putting every paper and coin in before closing it. With a satisfied nod, he put it back to its place and looked at me.

There was no need to say anything; I could see how happy and grateful he was by the look on his face. However, I didn't mind the tight hug he gave me before stepping back with his cheeks burning red out of embarrassment.

_Adorable._

I watched him as he backed away and tried to hide his face, but there was no way I could take my eyes off of him.

Nothing more was said between us and soon, I took my books out to start studying for the next day. Nanao borrowed the ones I wasn't using and was lost in them in a matter of seconds.

That destroyed my will of studying completely. I kept watching him. His slightly parted lips, and the way he licked them from time to time, not to mention those beautiful shining eyes. One would have thought he was trying to seduce me. And even if he wasn't doing that intentionally, he surely had a great effect on me.

I couldn't look away and there was no chance for me to learn anything.

_Why am I so obsessed with him?_

I couldn't answer that question, and as the hours passed by only more and more of them came.

_Why am I letting him do these things? Why do I want to take him out? Why do I feel bad now?_

After a while, I gave up on trying to answer these question and decided to make some dinner for us instead. Nanao didn't even notice me leaving he was so absorbed in his reading.

I had to break his concentration when the dinner was ready and he happily told me all about the stuff he just learned. It was incredible. He could basically repeat everything he just learnt. Nanao was probably a very bright kid and if these things didn't happen to him, he would have become someone great.

Suddenly, I remembered how he was when we first brought him here. He wouldn't even answer my questions and now he was talking and I didn't even have to say a word.

After dinner, Nanao wanted to get back to reading, but I told him not to. He went to take a shower and I could see that he picked up a book while I was heading to the bathroom. I shook my head but didn't comment.

When I came out, there was Nanao, sleeping in the bed with a book wide open on his chest. I couldn't help but smile and watch him. There was something so captivating about him. Maybe his looks, maybe his radiance, I didn't know. The only thing I knew was that I was obsessed with him.

Carefully taking the book and tucking him in, I placed a small kiss on his forehead to which I received a small smile, but he didn't wake. Quietly, I slipped in bed beside him and hugged him tightly.

With a content sigh, Nanao turned towards me and snuggled close into my arms. It wasn't hard to let the comfortable atmosphere take over and slip into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

The next few days went by much the same as the beginning of the week. We went to school then work and read books in the evening. The only intimacy between us consisted of small kisses and hugs and snuggling in bed, but I didn't mind at all.

Nanao was visibly happy, and he never stopped enjoying school or work. He started talking more with my friends and the people at work. That also brought some unwanted attention to him, but I thought I should give him some time to adjust to society again.

No matter how jealous I was when he was smiling at somebody else, I held back. Though I never stopped watching him. If something went wrong, or someone went too far, I would be there in a heartbeat to defend him. However, there was no need for that.

They all realized it soon that I didn't like anyone going too close or touching him, so they kept their distance, though that never stopped them from engaging in mindless chatter with my beautiful Nanao.

* * *

Finally, the weekend arrived. On Friday after work, we went back to the house to get our bags, since we'd already packed the day before. Nanao was so excited throughout the day that by the time we left work, everyone knew about our plans.

Of course, by Friday there was no secret about our relationship. Everyone noticed the way I looked at him – or so they said – and Nanao didn't make it difficult to find out how he felt. I knew he was trying, but the glances I caught, his smiles when our eyes met, the way he stepped close to me when we were together made it pretty clear for all of them that we were together.

And the fact that one of the waitresses, Shiro-san, caught us kissing in the lounge right before we left on Friday didn't help either. Nanao was so excited about the notion of kissing at the work place that I had no choice but to go with the flow.

I had to tell that I also enjoyed it. There was something that made my heart race even faster than it usually does when I'm with Nanao. The giggle we heard from behind Nanao made us both froze for a moment and we turned to the girl standing at the door.

"Please do go on," was all she said with a huge grin as she closed the door.

We didn't move for a minute or so, but then I sighed and claimed his lips once again.

_They probably all know by now, so what the hell!_

Nanao seemed surprised and didn't respond for a while, but as I pulled him closer, he forgot about all the embarrassment and let himself drown in the feeling.

And sure, when we finally came out of the lounge, all our coworkers were grinning. I shook my head and noticed that Nanao's face was beet red. Of course, I was relieved that no one took it the wrong way. There was no need to get people to hate Nanao or be disgusted with him.

The walk home was quiet and a bit awkward. Nanao was probably thinking about how to react to the fact that we had been found out.

"Don't worry," I said and it seemed to get the desired effect, because Nanao smiled and even though we still walked side by side silently, there was no longer any awkwardness in it.

* * *

Finally, we arrived at the hotel and found our rooms. This was a long week, with trying to watch over Nanao and study and work at the same time, but it was worth it. Nanao was happy and now wearing a _yukata_, eager to leave for the public bath.

He was even more beautiful in that light blue _yukata_, if that was even possible. The color brought out his eyes so well it was hard to look away from them.

As soon as I changed into _yukata_ as well, we left to go to the public baths. I saw people looking at Nanao with awe, men and women alike, so I pulled his rope tighter.

I knew that didn't help in hiding his beauty at all, but there was nothing else I could do.

There was something I forgot. He had to take that off to get into the bath. We had to be practically naked, and I didn't want anyone to see him like that, but now it was too late to change my mind. I couldn't just tell him to go back and change so we can go home.

As I was trying to come up with an excuse to turn back, he took my hand and said quietly, "How about we skip the public bath?"

I nodded and let him lead the way back to our room. This was the first time he suggested something intimate and I was at the end of my wits, so as soon as the door closed behind us, I pulled him to the bed and sat him on my lap.

He was surprised for a moment, but when my hand made its way up on his thigh, he leaned in for a kiss and encircled his arms around my neck.

The kiss was as passionate as all our previous kisses, but there was something new in it I couldn't quite figure out. I felt his fingers grab my hair and pull me even closer and soon, his other hand was inside my clothes, caressing my back and shoulders.

I didn't need more incentive to start preparing him. We stayed sitting at the edge of the bed while I was stroking and spreading him. He was a bit surprised when I positioned him on me and let him sit down, giving me easy access to slid in.

He stayed there for a few moments, trying to get used to the feeling and started moving slowly. He picked up pace but that was not enough for me, so I quickly flipped us over and hovered above Nanao while thrusting into him.

He gasped as my pace suddenly quickened, but didn't protest or complain. I could tell he was enjoying it and we didn't need much time to come.

We were both breathing heavily when Nanao suggested having a bath together. I saw the bathroom and the tub was way too small for two, but his mischievous smile made me go along with it.

Of course, we didn't spend much time bathing as we soon found ourselves touching each other. Nanao was eager to please and for the first time, he used his sex appeal to lure me in even more. The way he looked at me, the way he licked his lips after saying my name. There was no way I could resist, so we ended up having sex again. Not that I minded.

After cleaning ourselves a little, Nanao seemed dead tired, so I led him to the bed and as soon as his head hit the pillow he was out.

I watched him sleep for a while then joined him. There was always tomorrow to do something. He didn't snuggle to me this time, he was probably too tired to move, but that didn't keep me from holding him close.


	20. Chapter 19

Beta-read by Seerstella

Chapter 19

* * *

The next day I woke up refreshed, and for a moment I wasn't sure where I was. The only thing keeping me from panicking was the sight of Nanao next to me, sleeping soundly.

The peaceful atmosphere was so relaxing that for I while I didn't care if we were at home, or in nowhere, I wouldn't have cared even if we were in hell. Being next to Nanao made me feel so content that I just watched him and stroked his hair a bit.

A moment later, I remembered that we were at the _onsen_ and currently after having a very pleasurable night. Memories of last night came to mind and it was even harder to make myself get out of bed, but we needed something to do. I guessed we could do some outdoor activities.

I would never admit this to Nanao, but my stomach rumbled suddenly. That reminded me to a small shop right next to our hotel that was within the distance I could place between the two rings, I decided to go there and buy something for us to eat.

Knowing Nanao, he wouldn't be up anytime soon, so we probably won't have a chance to eat breakfast at the hotel. I would put past him to wake up after lunch time either. I realized recently how much he like sleeping and lazing around in bed. Not to mention how adorable he was with a messy bed hair sleepy eyes, and even more adorable when he was only wearing my shirt and nothing else.

That was a sight I could hardly keep away from my mind… sadly I had to because every time I thought of him like that I had this urge to ravish him.

Slowly, I got out of the warm and cozy bed and picked out fresh clothes before exiting the room with one last glance towards Nanao. I was thinking about writing him a note, but thought better of it. He probably won't wake up before I come back.

After quietly exiting our room, I found my way to the shop. Thankfully, they had pre-made food as well as fruit and even a few packed desserts. With the money I brought, I bought all the delicious things Nanao liked as well as some milk and water.

The trip wasn't as short as I expected, because there was a long line at the cashier and the young man working there was probably new to the job as he had trouble with the machines and finding and scanning the barcodes.

While waiting in line, I thought about what to do in these few days I have with Nanao. If it were me, we would be locked in the room enjoying each other, but this was for Nanao. He wanted to go out after spending years locked up, so it wouldn't be fair to not let him explore.

But the issue from yesterday remained. The public bath. I didn't forget about that, but I still didn't want to let him go there. All those men would see him and that made me uneasy. But then why coming to an _onsen_ if we didn't enjoy it.

We didn't have enough money for a private bath, so the only option was to find out when the people least visited the place.

We could also go sightseeing in the neighborhood. It wasn't far at all because we were already close to the borders of this town and the pet ring wouldn't let Nanao leave the area.

As I was finally nearing the cashier, I made up my mind to ask for information at the reception desk on my way back. They probably knew when the baths were relatively empty and what other things could be done around here.

After paying for the sweets, fruits and food I bought, I made my way to the receptionist standing near to door, before I was stopped by a familiar voice. As I turned around, I found someone I thought I would never see again.

"Senpai?" I asked surprised.

This young man, Kiriya-senpai, was my senior in high school and when he graduated, he swore he would never come back to this place ever again. It was a common knowledge that he wasn't getting along with his family. We became fast friends, as our backgrounds were very similar. We both had a very twisted father with a weird infatuation with slaves. His case was a bit worse, since he was the son of one of those slaves… but still, his father made him participate in those sick slave-training rituals.

Our friendship wasn't considered good. The Aikawa and the Kiriya families were enemies.

Well, maybe not enemies. That's a strong word. But they were _rivals_. I could never understand how our fathers could compete in being cruel. Torturing and killing people shouldn't count as something you feel like you have to beat someone at.

But our fathers were dead serious about it. They ended up killing their slaves in the most gruesome ways possible just to best the other. For a while now, things seemed to calm down. Especially after Senpai left town. It seemed like his father had no interest in slaves anymore as there were no more people taken there or brought back in horrible condition if not dead.

Just like him, my father quieted down a bit at that. He had no reason to be worse than he already was, so lately there were less slaves killed at our house. Unfortunately, that didn't mean there was no more torture, because my father enjoyed the pain of others, but it was much better now.

So this man showing up made me a little uneasy. Of course, I was happy to have a friend back but now, everything was about Nanao and I feared what would happen to him if our fathers started their competition again. Nanao was an easy target and an eyesore to my father.

"Senpai! When did you come back?"

"Just recently. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I kinda missed this place."

His smile was somewhat unsettling. There was something in it that said he was not missing the nice view or landscape. And I knew he wasn't here to see his friends or family.

His family meant his father whom he hated and his slave of a mother whom he despised for being one. He hated his mother for marking him as the son of a slave. Most of the people knew that since this was a small town. Even though nobody ever said anything to him directly, they looked down on him for that. They were too afraid to.

This, and along with his sadistic father… I don't think I have to state the obvious, but yes, he had no friends.

We were friends, but our friendship was nothing like mine with Aragaki and Izumi. We tolerated each other and complained about the situation we were both in. Because naturally, I practically had no friends until those two came along. People feared us and our whole families, but who could blame them?

"I haven't seen your father in a while," I said the first thought that came to mind.

The old sadistic man failed to show up or give any sign of life for a while now. He used to parade around the town enjoying the looks on people's faces and he went around bragging about all the horrible things he had done. But for quite some time now, there was nothing.

"He left town," he shrugged.

Now that unnerved me even more. His tone was very different from his quiet and almost shy one he used back in high school. Not to mention the fact that he just said the old man left. That was just not possible. It was like he was glued to this town, never leaving its borders.

People used to talk about that. Things like how he orders slaves and food from outside which was saying something, because he was very picky about those two things. When he went to the local shops he walked around looking at the merchandise that was either people or expensive food, criticizing, yelling and buying the absolute best.

So him actually leaving this place sounded crazy but I had no reason to question my _senpai_ so I dropped the subject.

"How long are you going to stay?"

"I don't know. A while, I guess."

His tone bugged me. I could no longer read his expression and even his stance changed. He wasn't the shy, small kid anymore. He was giving off a special kind of vibe. One that I didn't like at all because it reminded me of my father. He looked like a rich man who could do whatever the hell he wanted even if it was illegal. His eyes were hard, missing the kind spark that first drew my attention to him.

Everything about him screamed danger.

_He_ was dangerous.

At that moment, I heard footsteps behind me and someone touched my arm.

"Aikawa, why did you leave me alo…?"

His question was abruptly stopped and I turned to him to see what the reason was. When I finally faced him, I saw Nanao frozen in place with wide eyes. His grip on my arm tightened and his breathing quickened. That was when I realized that he was looking at Senpai.

"You? You're _that one_, right? You're… alive?" Kiriya-senpai's eyes were just as wide as Nanao's. However, Nanao's were filled with fear now while Senpai's only showed shock.

Just when Senpai made to grab his hand, I stepped in between them and shielded Nanao from him. "Don't touch him."

I didn't know what made me say that. Maybe my instinct to save Nanao was making me move or I was too possessive to let anyone touch him, I didn't know. But I stood between them; Sempai's shocked eyes finally turned at me.

I knew he was about to say something, but I felt Nanao shaking behind me so I just turned around and practically dragged Nanao back to our room.

As soon as I closed the door, the temperature in the room seemed to drop drastically. Nanao's entire frame gave off a frightened aura and he wouldn't meet my eyes.

I felt anger, pure, uncontrollable anger and I had to release it on the person closest to me and that was unfortunately the one I wanted to protect.

"How do you know him?"

He flinched at my words and I didn't – couldn't - blame him. My voice was ice cold and only anger could be detected in it.

Unfortunately, his shy and small frame didn't help now. His flinching and trying to pull his hand free only made me angrier.

As my hand tightened around his hand my rational mind screamed at me to stop, to not hurt Nanao. I knew that one wrong move could ruin all the progress I had with him. I knew that losing his fragile trust now would mean losing it forever. I knew all that, but my rage was stronger this time.

I roughly pulled on his arm and he stumbled into my chest. However, I didn't let him take comfort in my presence, as I grabbed his shoulders and pushed him away so I could see his face.

His eyes were hard to see as he didn't lift his face up, but even like this, I could tell that he was terrified.

Terrified of _me_.

"I asked you a question. How. Do. You. Know. Him?"

He shivered at the cold words and opened his mouth but no words came out. I was losing my mind quickly and I was really close to hitting him. These thoughts disturbed me greatly. I loved Nanao deeply and still my jealousy was so strong it caused more harm than good to us both.

Finally, his quiet answer came, "He was my previous owner."

The room was deadly silent for a moment or two.

"You slept with him?" My voice was even colder if possible.

Nanao didn't answer just lowered his gaze even though he wasn't looking at me to begin with. Of course he slept with him. Nanao was a slave. Not like he had any choice to begin with. But my rational mind was shut out a long time ago and the jealousy just raged on even more.

I pulled him into the room and made him sit on the bed.

"Sit there. Don't you dare move."

Nanao froze and barely breathed as I pulled out our bags and began to pack our clothes into them. It was then I realized I'd dropped all the food I had brought for Nanao somewhere along the way.

"What are you doing?" Nanao's voice was uncertain and filled with undeniable fear.

"We're going home," I answered, not even looking at him.

"But…" He was panicking now. I knew what he was thinking. He thought that going home now would mean two things. One, he would never be granted a leave from the house and two, he would be punished severely.

I should have told him that I wasn't angry with him. Even more so because my behavior said otherwise. But I was fuming and didn't care about what he was feeling or thinking at the moment, the only thought being on my mind was that Senpai touched _my_ Nanao.

So instead of reassuring Nanao that he was in no trouble I just turned to him with the bags finally packed and said with a tone that left no space to argue before starting to pull him out the door.

"I said we're going home."


	21. Chapter 20

Beta-read by Seerstella

**Chapter 20**

* * *

**Nanao's POV**

I woke up from restless dreams. Meeting that man brought back memories.

Not really good ones.

Not to mention Aikawa's behavior yesterday made me uneasy too. He was angry and I feared that he would hit or punish me, but when we arrived back to the house, he calmed down significantly. I could see that. We didn't talk much but the atmosphere was much better and I was able to relax a bit.

His rage scared me. I wasn't sure if whether I did something wrong or not, but I knew I didn't have to do something wrong to be punished. However, no matter how scared he made me yesterday, I still felt safe with him. Not like when I was with that other man we met at the _onsen_.

He sometimes acted nice but other times he was ruthless. For some reason though, I almost considered him a friend. Only when he was nice to me; when he seemed to care for me.

I've never known his name though. I wasn't allowed to know. His father called him _ungrateful brat_ and I was to address him as _master_.

When they bought me, I was taken to a much worse place than my first room in the Aikawa house. It was small, barely enough to sleep in. Naturally, I didn't get to have a bed or a bathroom. The only thing in that cell was a toilet and a blanket to sleep on. The room was always dark and cold but I never had warm clothes.

The first day I was thrown into the room and left there. For a long time, no one came into my cell and I wasn't given any food. I felt a little claustrophobic in the small room. And not to mention, lonely.

When they finally came, I regretted wishing for some company. My master looked frightened but his father was excited and his gaze promised nothing good. It was training time, though it wasn't _mine_.

The man showed his son how to tie me up so that I could not move. He taught him how to beat me up without causing too much internal injuries and inevitably death. He trained his boy to enjoy this, but the son seemed scared and reluctant to follow his instructions.

However, when he didn't obey or do things right, his father demonstrated things on him. For that reason, a strange relationship formed between us. From time to time, it felt like we were both slaves, sharing the same painful fate.

We suffered together then we licked each other's injuries. When he was beaten, he always brought the first aid kit down with him and tended to my bruises and cuts too. However, when he submitted to his father and hurt me, he left as soon as his father was out of hearing range. He didn't even look at me.

For a while it was okay. They beat me up every other day and went a bit too far like once a month.

A few months later, however, something changed.

The man stopped coming. My master came to my cell every day but he was different. One day, he was nice and almost caring, the other he was worse than ever. He almost beat me to death several times. However, the worst thing was that on those days, he wasn't satisfied with only beating me. He started touching me and it didn't take him long to take that last step and rape me.

From that moment on, I feared the sound of footsteps approaching my cell, because I never knew what to expect. It was easier with a violent, ruthless master because I always knew what to expect. When I heard them approaching, I only had to brace myself for the pain and hold out for an hour or two. But when it came to that boy, who was barely older than me, I was terrified.

Terrified because I was always hoping that he would be nice. I liked it when he was nice. It didn't seem like an act either. His eyes showed genuine kindness and gentleness.

When he was like that, I could almost forget the situation I was in. I could almost feel good and secure in his arms. That was what scared me the most. I was starting to like him even though I knew the next day he might torture me again. It was so easy to forget those things when he held me close to comfort me.

It wasn't anything like what I had with Aikawa now. He never brought me things, cooked my favorite food for me, took me out or defended me from his father. No. He just… he was there for me. He was the first one to make me feel like I was more than a mere slave.

He used to say that I was the only one he could talk to. He mentioned a boy he was in good terms with, but they weren't exactly friends. Every time he said that, I felt like _I_ was his friend and he were mine, but I never dared ask him about it. I was fine with our situation.

At least when he was nice.

When he entered the room and his eyes were cold and angry, I knew not to say a word. The more he heard my voice the more aggressive he became. When I asked him – begged him – to stop, he beat me up so bad I lost consciousness for almost a day; though I wasn't sure about the exact time, since the room was always dark. But when I woke up, he came into the room and looked at me, shock evident in his eyes.

For a moment, it looked like he didn't know that _he did that to me_. His eyes turned sad and he left only to return with the first aid kit a few minutes later. He dressed my wounds and held me like I was something precious and I forgave him for what he did.

His attitude confused me greatly, but I tried to bear with it. To survive, I had to adapt to whatever kind of owner I got.

One day, however, he came to my cell, outraged. I was more scared than ever before. His eyes were filled with anger and hatred, and I couldn't help thinking that I did something to cause that. Without a word, he pushed me to the wall and raped me more times that I could count. It hurt so bad I wanted to die; and I knew something was very wrong and one bad move could cost me my life.

I fainted in the middle of it and woke up in a small cage meant for bigger dogs in a shop. I immediately knew where I was. Well, not the actual place, but I knew this was a shop for rich people, and rich people were always more sadistic than others.

I tried getting out of the cage and run away several times. I fought every time someone came too close, but finally they ganged up on me and I lost.

I was held down by two men and one of them had a needle in his hand. The last thing I felt was the cold stuff getting into my veins, and I was unconscious in a minute. When I woke up the next time, I was in the basement with Aikawa cleaning my wounds.

From then on, I never heard of my previous master, nor did I want to. A few times I wondered how I ended up in that shop. No matter how he looked when he had one of those days, when he acted normal, he was always nice and he told me how happy he was to have me. Maybe his father took me out of the picture.

Maybe he realized that I wasn't his friend, but a slave. Nothing more than a pet.

Now, I was in Aikawa's bed and as I turned to my left, I came face to face with my current owner. He was sleeping with his arm on my stomach and his face turned to me. He looked so peaceful. As I tried to regulate my breathing after those stupid nightmares, I watched him until he suddenly opened his eyes.

"What's wrong? Trouble sleeping?" he asked quietly.

I didn't answer just kept looking at him. For some reason, his gaze made me blush and before I knew it, we were no longer next to each other. He was hovering over me, his gentle arms caressing my chin and hair. I relaxed a little in his arms and closed my eyes. The next thing I knew, there were fierce lips on my own and it was getting hard to breathe.

I started to protest half-heartedly because I was out of oxygen and after that dream I wasn't really in the mood to be intimate. He noticed my hesitation and let go. I braced myself for the worst but it never came. He only looked at me and said,

"You look on the verge of tears."

His voice was dangerously low and I couldn't read his expression. I didn't even realize how grim my expression had become. I was somewhat sad, yes, but the reason was unclear even to me.

Maybe I was sad because I expected Aikawa to get rid of me someday. This time it would be more painful. Not only will I have to adopt to a new owner's habits, but… I love Aikawa. I'm in love with him. Losing him would kill a part of me. I didn't want that. However, I knew that sooner or later he will realize that I'm just a slave and for his life to go on, he will have to get rid of me.

I was knocked out of my misery by a sharp pain on my chest. When I turned to him, I saw that Aikawa bit me.

He _bit_ me.

Then he licked it. But he didn't stop there as I felt him bite me again, now a bit lower.

"Are you just intending on eating me like this?" I asked in between bites and licks.

He didn't raise his head just looked up as he answered in a low voice, "I'm going to gnaw down to your very bones…"

His voice, the look in his eyes and the sensation made me shiver and I couldn't say anything else but that didn't stop my brain from pushing all my doubts into the front.

_Why did that man have to show up now? Why did I dream of the past? Why do I have the feeling that my relationship with Aikawa will end just like that last one? Aikawa would never do that to me. It was that other kid, not Aikawa. Aikawa's not like that. Aikawa…_

"What are you thinking about?"

The voice startled me. I opened my eyes I didn't know were closed. He looked at me, waiting for an explanation I didn't have.

"The expression on your face… What's hurting you so?" he asked but I couldn't answer.

I could never tell him my dark secrets. Secrets of how much I wanted and needed him, or how much I feared how this would end. So my only reaction was to look away from him.

"Are you thinking about that man we met at the hotel?"

"No!" This conversation was turning to a dangerous direction. I had to come up with something before he asked too much of the things I never wanted to share with him. "I was…"

"Nanao," he cut in. "Right now, please think only of me."

I was stunned and a bit out of it so I had no way of telling him my true feeling. However, it looked like he didn't expect me to, because he leaned down and took me into his mouth. I gasped. It wasn't like this was the first time he did something like this, but something was different now.

It felt like he wanted to please me… to make me choose him. But there was no reason for that. I was already head over heels for him. I already belonged to him. Even if I didn't love him, I was his.

"A-Aikawa…" I tried forcing out the words between gasps of pleasure. "You don't… have to do this…" What he was doing to me made me unable to think, so I tried pushing him away. "You don't… have to force yourself to do this…"

He finally stopped and looked up at me. "Why… Why do you say that?"

"Just… You know… I'm yours. You don't have to prove that you own me."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It's just…" I looked away from his somewhat angry eyes. "You are my owner. I'm your slave. I am here to give you pleasure. You don't have to do these things to make me feel better."

"Nanao…"

"You don't have to do these things just because I like you. Even that first time… I pushed you to have sex with me… You were just nice to me… You didn't even like me, and still I…"

"Nanao…"

"I took advantage of your kindness… and you didn't even punish me…"

I was so absorbed in my misery that I didn't see Aikawa moving. Not until he grabbed my shoulders and made me look at him.

"Why do you keep doing this to yourself?" he shouted at me. "One moment you enjoy our time together and the next you act like a pet waiting to be punished." Suddenly his voice became normal again. "Did… something happen in the past? Does it have anything to do with that man!? Is that why you're always pulling away from me, always so scared?!"

I think I lost it at that, because I started shouting too. I wasn't allowed to shout at my master, but I did it without thinking.

"No, i-it's not…" I turned away, unable to look into his eyes. "I'm not thinking of anyone but you! My head's filled with nothing but _**you**_! I love you… love you so much I can't stand it. But I'm scared! I'm just a pet. I'm disposable. You can get rid of me whenever you want. I don't want you to get rid of me. I want to… be with you… forever…"

By the time I finished, my voice was no more than a whisper.

A stunned silence followed my words until Aikawa exclaimed angrily, "Cut it out! I don't want you to be my pet anymore!"

I gasped and looked up at him. His eyes were as wide as mines and I felt like crying.

_That's it. I'm going to lose him forever. He's going to take me back to that shop. It's over._

I wanted to cry. I wanted to get away from him. I didn't want him to know how much his words affected me.

I knew this was going to happen. I _feared_ this was going to happen. He deserved so much better. I was just a slave, nothing else. He was the son of a rich nobleman and I was nobody. We had no future. I knew it all along.

But still… I wished we had a little more time. I wished that he would not be the one to decide to end this relationship, if you could call it that. I wanted to stay with him and I wanted him to also want it, but it seemed like I was the only one thinking that way.

I looked down trying to hide the tears that already blurred my vision.

"Wait, I didn't mean…" I heard him, but I didn't pay attention anymore. "That… came out wrong…"

I had to get away so I stood up and bolted for the door. I knew there was no place I could go to, I couldn't even leave the house, but I had to get away from him.

I didn't want him to see how much his words hurt me. I didn't want him to know how much I wanted to stay with him. I didn't want him to see me cry over this… so I ran.

I ran… but he caught me before I could reach the door. "Nanao…" He whispered into my ear as he stood behind me. "I'm sorry, that's not what I meant… Please listen to me…"

I felt my legs give away and I slid to the ground trying to hide my tears, but the sobs and my shaking body showed just how upset I was. I heard rustling behind me and soon I felt strong arms encircle me, holding me close. I flinched at the sudden contact but finally relaxed into his arms.

"Nanao…" he started, his tone firm. "I'm thrilled that you'd think that much about me… but please stop tearing yourself down like this. I don't want anyone speaking ill of you… not even yourself."

He squeezed me tighter and my tears finally stopped. I tried to process his words but my mind was hazy. Did what he just said mean that he never wants to get rid of me? Or did he just mean that for now, I was good enough for him?

His arms around me felt so good that I decided to believe in his words no matter what they meant. I wanted to believe that I had a place beside him for the rest of my life even though I knew that was impossible.

"And also… You'll never say if you're feeling sad or lonely. You'll never _**tell me**_."

I gasped. This sounded a lot like the beginning of a confession. And even though it wasn't one, the outcome made me feel a lot better. "Let me know if there's anything you want… don't hide it away."

Well… I actually just did that. I told him that I wanted to be with him forever. I knew he meant something else. Smaller things, but I wasn't the type to demand things.

"But I'm a slave… and a man…" I started, not really knowing what else to say. "That you even care about me is more than enough…"

This was my only way of taking back my previous, unanswered, words. Wanting to be together forever was impossible, so staying like this for now should be enough.

_Must_ be enough.

"If that's all you can manage to say…" He took my chin and turned me to him. "Then I'll have to seal shut those lips until your pulse stops."

With a swift movement, he turned me around and pulled me closer. Before I knew it, his lips were on mine, taking my breath away while his hands held me tightly so I couldn't escape.

I wanted to protest. My mind screamed at me to stop him; to stop him from making me believe his sweet words, but I couldn't. I melted into the kiss and responded by opening my mouth to let him explore it.

He didn't hesitate and pulled me even closer, if that was even possible, as the kiss became more intensive. I felt one of his hands leave my back and appear on my leg, slowly sliding upwards. I shivered at the sensation it caused when those long fingers touched the sensitive skin on my thigh.

For a moment, he broke the kiss to say, "Nanao… you shouldn't underestimate my tenacity."

That day, the sex was better than ever before. Aikawa bit me, licked me, touched me, pleasured me every way he could.

After three rounds of that sweet torture, I lay exhausted in his arms enjoying the tight embrace I was in and vaguely registering his hands caressing my hair as he laid behind me before I drifted off to a dreamless sleep.


	22. Chapter 21

Beta-read by Seerstella

Chapter 21

* * *

**Kuon's POV**

Nanao was sleeping soundly in my arms with a content smile on his face. I knew he was scared and insecure. He had every reason to be, and I could understand that. Technically he was a slave and nothing more. I or my father could get rid of him anytime.

Of course, I had no intention of letting him go. His whole being captivated me. His movements that were so graceful, his eyes that shined like expensive jewels, that playful smile that only a few people could ever see and was always directed at me.

Meeting Senpai, however, changed something. He became uneasy and scared. I knew that meeting that man had upset him. He even had a nightmare. The bad dreams had stopped a long time ago and still, he woke up disoriented and sweaty today.

I knew he had bad experience before coming here, but I never imagined his previous master to be someone I knew.

I had to talk to Senpai about this. I remembered him telling me once that he found a pet he could almost connect with. And by the way he looked at Nanao I had a feeling it was him. But why didn't he tell me about Nanao?

_I have to talk to him._

Since there was no way I could fall back to sleep with all these thoughts and questions in my head I decided to get up and make some breakfast. Taking care not to wake Nanao up, I slid out of bed and pulled the covers up on him. After one last look at his peaceful face, I left the room.

It didn't take long for Nanao to follow me down to the kitchen. The light breakfast was done by the time he sat down awkwardly only wearing a long shirt and boxers.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah." He was embarrassed probably about what had happened. We ate in silence after that and I noticed that he was avoiding my eyes.

"I have to go out for a while. Wait for me in the room." I said after finishing the meal.

He looked up in shock, finally meeting my eyes but looked away as fast as he could, and said nothing. His face, however, said everything. He was disappointed and sad.

I left after giving him a quick kiss on the forehead and headed to my destination.

* * *

I arrived at the huge wooden door of the mansion Kiriya lived in and rang the bell. After a few seconds the door opened and a young servant invited me in to wait for his master. The young man was not much older than me and looked pale and way too thin. It wasn't hard to figure out he was also a slave.

Senpai came downstairs and met me with a forced smile. Good. We both knew this conversation wasn't going to be a pleasant one.

"Aikawa! What brings you into my humble home?" His tone was kind and inviting but his eyes said something else. They were calculating and distant.

"Give up on him!" There was no reason for pleasantries. We weren't that close. Not anymore.

"You mean that guy?"

_That guy?!_

"Yes. Could you please give up on him? He's mine."

"So you and that guy…"

_That guy __**again**__?! _

"Indeed," I nodded to emphasize my intent of coming.

_Make him believe what he wants._

Of course I never mentioned Nanao's name because he didn't even seem to _know_ it and I wanted to leave it at that. The possessiveness that appeared in his eyes disturbed me enough.

"I have something I have to tell him. I want to apologize to him face to face."

I didn't know how to stop him. In case he was someone Nanao considered as a close one, I wanted to let him, but my possessive side told me to hit him and lock Nanao up. Nanao was mine and mine alone.

"I'm sure he wouldn't accept an apology though…" Senpai continued. "He would just sit and listen without a word. But… I suppose you're already well aware of that fact," he said the last sentence with a calculating smile. I was no dumb; I knew he was trying to make me believe that he knew Nanao better than me.

"I'm afraid I don't have a clue what you're talking about. I have never known anyone as endearing as him."

My response shocked him. _Yes. He should know that I know Nanao better._

We stayed silent for a little while. It was awkward but I didn't care much about it. Something occurred to me just then. The house was surprisingly quiet.

"Where's your father?" I asked finally.

His posture changed immediately. He went from confident to rigid. He stiffened, but that was nothing new. He always behaved like this when that man was brought up.

"Away." Came the short answer.

However, that only made me more suspicious. That man was too into this sick hobby of slave-keeping that he never left them alone… at least not while they were alive. Plus he loved this house. Seeing no way to let this topic go on, I let the it go even though I knew he was hiding something. The way he shifted from one foot to the other was something new and made him look a bit crazy or out of it.

"I have to go now," was all I said as I turned to the door.

He didn't try to stop me or even say goodbye. That was also new. We weren't exactly friends but still close acquaintances. Most likely the two things we talked had upset him too much to care.

The strangest thing was that he didn't seem scared when I mentioned his father. At least not the way he used to. He still stiffened, but it looked like he wasn't afraid of the man but the topic of him missing or something hidden that I couldn't figure out.

Hopefully, he got my message and will leave Nanao alone. He was mine and no one else's.

* * *

When I got home I was greeted by Nanao impatiently pacing in the hallways. It was a big thing because he could have met my father, who was the last person he would ever want to meet. So him being there meant something and made me feel welcomed. Something I haven't felt for a long time now.

As he noticed me closing the door he came close to me quickly.

"Where have you been?"

I smiled slightly. He looked like a worried housewife. But then I caught sight of his clothes. Actually… my clothes. He was wearing _my clothes_.

"I brought you cookies," was my reply as I held up the bag that was in my hand, my eyes never leaving the exposed skin as the too big shirt didn't cover his collar bone.

As he leaned in to take a look at the treat with shining eyes, I lost the battle with my desire and pulled him into a fierce kiss.

We ran out of breath soon and had to break the intense lip-locking. An idea forming in my head, I dragged Nanao up the stairs into my room.

"A-Aikawa! What's gotten into you?"

I didn't answer just pushed him on the bed and put the bag on the nightstand. Nanao looked up at me surprised but didn't try to stop me as I kissed him again and started pulling off his clothes.

It didn't take long before he was naked and I stopped to admire him while he looked away embarrassed.

_He's mine. Mine and no one else's. I'm not giving him to anyone._

When I drank up every detail of his porcelain skin and dark hair, I reached for the bag and pulled out the cookies.

Choosing a creamy one I put it on his stomach and started making circles with it. He looked at me with wide eyes and shivered at the cold sweets touching his oversensitive skin.

When that was done, I picked some small chocolate and decorated him with them while giving him one. I placed it in my mouth and leaned down to kiss him. He gasped as the chocolate was pushed into his mouth because he didn't notice what I was about to do. The kiss was sweet and long and when I leaned back I saw Nanao flush a brilliant red.

As I looked down on his stomach I saw that the chocolate was starting to melt.

_Good. The fun can start now._

I started kissing down his body starting at his neck and slowly making my way to where the cream and chocolate made a melting mess.

He gasped when I nipped at the pink buds that turned white with the cake on them. I was never really a fan of sweet things but this was delicious and turning me on very quickly. By the sounds Nanao made I could tell that he was enjoying it too.

The chocolate on his lower stomach melted completely and I used it and the one that was still in my hand to coat Nanao's member in it while stroking him lightly. Chocolates turned out to be a really good lubricant as I easily slipped my finger into his opening, earning a satisfied groan that rang in the silent room. He tried moving around to make me work faster but I resisted and continued my slow torture.

Nanao started whining and the sound brought a small smile to my lips. He was so adorable with his eyes closed tightly, hands grabbing the sheets, face flushed, lips slightly parted.

I continued stretching him with one hand and stroking with the other while my lips were working on his nipples, licking and biting at the sweet skin.

Suddenly, I stopped and heard a groan coming from Nanao. When I saw the precum leaking from him, I took him into my mouth and licked the chocolate off of his fully erect member while my other hand continued stretching him. With slow licks and nibs I made him let out those sweet sounds I loved so much, but my idea of driving him crazy was turning out to be an increasingly difficult job as just watching and hearing him made me so hard.

I wanted to feel him around me so I took out my fingers and replaced them with my member roughly. Nanao gasped at the sudden intrusion but the pain disappeared from his face shortly.

With a slow pace I watched Nanao as he grabbed my shirt to make me go deeper and faster.

"Tell me what you want," I said instead of doing what he was so obviously asking for.

His eyes opened suddenly but he said nothing. We looked into each other's eyes as I continued the teasing with those slow movements. Finally, his desire won and he let out a whisper.

"Faster…"

I complied. It was getting hard for me to hold back so I had no problem granting his wish. I wanted him to know that it was okay to ask for these things.

I picked up pace and listened to the sounds coming from Nanao. I could tell that he was close so I moved faster hitting that bundle of nerves that made him throw his head back and watched his face as he reached his limit and came. Eyes screwed shut, lips slightly parted and his hands grabbing my shirt tightly. Just the sight was enough to make me go over the edge and I came inside him.

When I calmed down a little I picked up another piece of chocolate and plopped it into my mouth before leaning down to kiss him. With my tongue, I pushed it into his mouth and started making circles around it.

We broke the kiss when we ran out of breath and swallowed the chocolate that melted in our mouths.

I looked down at Nanao. He was still flushed and breathing hard with a little cream remaining on his chest so I picked him up and walked to the bathroom.

He gasped and held onto me tightly but his eyes widened when I started the water and stepped into the shower still wearing my clothes. I put him down to stand in front of me and started kissing him on his neck and chin.

"Your clothes will…"

I didn't let him finish as my lips found his. Nanao's eyes closed momentarily, enjoying the sensation as my hands roamed around his back and sides. He shivered from time to time and placed his hands on the hem of my shirt.

When my hands changed location and found his nipples he opened his eyes.

"What are you…" his voice hitched when one of my hands slid down and cupped him. "…we just did it."

From his tone, it didn't sound like he minded what I was doing so I continued. With a little shower get I washed his body touching every sensitive part I knew. He shivered and moaned which in turn made me hard as I felt his already forming erection.

Suddenly, I turned him around and started rubbing against his back side while my hand reached for the shower gel again to pour some on me to make it easier to slip inside. There was no need to stretch him and he moaned when I thrust inside.

He placed his hands on the wall to support himself and I held him too so he wouldn't fall in the slippery shower.

I started out slowly and sucked on his neck, back and shoulders wherever I could reach. Nanao shivered and could barely stand but didn't complain about the position so I continued as we were.

I let one of my hands wander around on his body, stroking his legs, stomach and chest while the other held him close. The sounds he made were echoing in the bathroom making it even more sensual.

With Nanao moaning and shivering in my arms it was damn near impossible to not get close so I started stroking him in rhythm with my thrusts and suddenly felt him clamp down on me while he let out a long moan. The pressure finally sent me over the edge too and I came inside him.

When we calmed down, I slipped out of him and turned him around to hold him close while helping him stand. He looked tired and was shaking from pleasure. With one hand, I supported his weight and with the other I cleaned him up using the soap that was in the shower too.

He let me clean him and when I finished and lead him out to dry he sat down with a content smile and let me use a towel to dry him. I stripped and showered quickly while he sat there half-asleep. When we were both clean and dry, I carried him back to the bed and laid him on it. Not long after that, Nanao was fast asleep.

I tucked him in and watched his sleeping face. For a long time, I just sat there staring at him and admiring his natural beauty.

Then I remembered that I was as much naked as he was so I stood up to get dressed. As I was about to sit back down to watch him sleep, the door was suddenly banged open.

"Ku-nii, we're home!" Towa came rushing in, just like he always did.

"Shh," I hushed him before he could wake Nanao.

Towa looked at him and nodded. As usual, he didn1t have anything else to comment. Just then Aniki walked in. He noticed Nanao sleeping on the bed with a smile on his face and noticeably naked under the covers with multiple and very visible kiss marks on his body and blushed.

"I see you had a nice weekend," was all he said.


	23. Chapter 22

Beta-read by Seerstella

**Warning**: explicit gore.

Chapter 22

* * *

**Nanao's POV**

When I woke up on the next day, I found a short letter on the nightstand. Obviously enough, it was from Aikawa.

_Have to go to school. Take care. Aikawa._

I smiled and lay back down to enjoy the moment. I was happy, I had to admit. I was happier than ever before and that somewhat scared me. I knew how easily that happiness could be taken away. However, for now, even only for a few hours, I wanted to enjoy being content, happy and in love.

Of course, I should have known that nothing is that easy and nice for me. Plus, luck was never on my side, and the peace was short lived when the door opened suddenly and two men barged into the room.

They were the last people I wanted to see: Aikawa's father and my previous owner.

I panicked. Being in the same room with one of them meant nothing good for me, let alone the tow of them. Having them both here only meant pain and torture and even death.

"There. All yours," Aikawa's father said and left with a cruel smirk on his face.

I, unable to react or deal with the situation, was left alone with my previous owner. I couldn't read him anymore. Not like it was easy before, when I was at his mercy. But now it was even harder. I haven't seen him for quite some time and he had changed.

That much I could tell.

He held himself with pride and his face showed a slightly mad expression. I thought that was because he was thinking of how to 'celebrate' our reunion. Still, I thought he didn't really care about me, so I never imagined him seeking me out.

_What does he want?_

"I thought you were dead." His voice was quiet, calm and sincere as he continued. "I miss you so much." He came closer and smiled. "But now I have you. Aikawa-san said I can take you back."

I got out of the bed and stepped away from him, trying to put some distance between us, but that seemed to anger him and the smile left his face. As he reached me, he grabbed my arm tightly and that slightly mad expression returned.

"I love you. Come back to me."

My heart stopped for a moment.

_He loves me._

How much I wanted to hear those words when I was in that house. How much I craved for some gentle words and honest confessions. Because I could tell he was being completely honest with me now. Even though he seemed a bit crazy, I knew he meant what he said. Even back then, I had a feeling that we were close. Closer than we were meant to be, but I never imagined that he was serious. But now…

Now I loved Aikawa and no one else held that a place in my heart.

"I…I can't."

The gentle tone disappeared as he answered, "He doesn't want you like I do. He just wants a slave, not a lover. He will never see you as one."

"I don't care if he hurts me or makes me cry. I just want Aikawa," I said, no longer looking at him.

That must have been the wrong answer because his grip on my arm tightened and suddenly, he was in 'that' kind of mood which made me tremble and want to get away.

"You're coming with me." His eyes hardened and his hold on me became painfully tight. I tried getting away from him but he was much stronger and my struggling only made him hold me tighter, if that was possible.

"My father", he spat the word "decided that I was too attached to you so he got rid of you. But guess what?! I got rid of _him_."

The words barely registered as my only thought was to get away from him. But when they finally did, I tensed and looked at him. His expression was that of a crazy murderer and I had no problem believing what he had just said.

"You…" Still, I was afraid to voice my suspicion.

"Yes. I asked nicely but he wouldn't tell me where you were. Then I locked him in the room he used to imprison me in and I gave him a taste of his own medicine. I hit him cut him up, electrocuted him, locked him in that dark room for days without food and light but nothing worked. That stubborn old fart wouldn't tell me anything.

"He seemed to like what I had become and even encouraged me to hurt him even more. Sick bastard. He made one mistake though. He thought I'd never kill him. That was where he was wrong. I got fed up with our little game when he told me that you wouldn't ever be mine and gutted him so he could suffer for a long time before dying slowly in that room.

"When I sliced his stomach open, he realized what I was going to do to him and started to beg me for forgiveness. He kept pleading to me to get some help but I just watched him. I wanted him to see me standing there, doing nothing just smiling as he died a slow and painful death."

I was shaking and desperately trying to get away from him, fearing for my own life and wanting to be as far away as possible from this monster. However, all my attempts were futile as he held me firmly in place.

"And now, I have you. No one can separate us now. I'll kill anyone who tries."

_Aikawa. I want Aikawa!_

As that thought hit me, I started to fight more and managed to get away from him. That look of madness appeared in his eyes again and he launched at me.

"If you don't want me than you give me no other choice. I'm _not_ going to let anyone have you. I'd rather kill you then myself."

With that he launched for me. I was in full panic mode trying to get away because I believed every single word he said. I could see it in his eyes that he would not let me get out of his sight anymore. He was set on killing me and there was no one here to stop him.

As I was running away from him, he tripped me and I fell on the chair hitting my head. My vision blurred and I felt something hot running down on the side of my head when he grabbed my ankle and yanked me to him.

_Help! Aikawa, please! Help me!_

My thoughts were running around my head but somewhere in the chaos I lost my voice. I kept screaming but no voice came out. I started kicking and flailing my arms after he hit me, but the next blow didn't come from his hands. As I opened my eyes a fraction I saw him grabbing a vase, along the recent flowers from Aikawa, and threw it at me. My struggling stopped as the pain overwhelmed me.

Oddly, I was still conscious enough to struggle. I could see that it wasn't enough for him as he took a bigger piece of glass and neared it to me face, most probably wanting to slit my throat open like he did to his father's stomach. When I realized what he was doing, I pulled my arms to cover my neck and face and he cut them several times before I managed to knock it out of his hand.

I didn't have time to relax as I felt his fingers close around my neck, blocking my airways. The strength quickly left my body as no precious air got into my lungs. Soon, my vision started to go black at the edges and my arms fell from his hands, no longer trying to pry those fingers away. Before darkness claimed me, the last clear thought on my mind was that I wouldn't be able to see Aikawa anymore.


	24. Chapter 23

Beta-read by Seerstella

Chapter 23

* * *

I woke up disoriented, not remembering what had happened and why it hurt so much to breathe. As my senses cleared, I heard shouting and turned to my left to see Aikawa as he hit my previous owner in the face and the man slid down the wall.

Aikawa seemed furious and kept yelling but I didn't hear any of it as the only thought in my head was that I had never seen Aikawa acting like that. He was always so quiet and calm it was difficult to imagine him shouting at someone. Not to mention that the vicious headache and buzzing noise which were now blocking out anything that was happening around me. I started to remember what had happened and my panic came back with full force.

The elevated blood pressure didn't help my already fuzzy head and suddenly I started to feel sick. Thankfully, I didn't have time to eat anything yet and there was nothing to throw up so I started to dry heave on the floor. But my stomach didn't settle, because I couldn't get rid of the panic.

_Aikawa's here. I'm safe now._

I kept telling that to myself, but it didn't work. My heart was racing and it was getting harder and harder to stay awake as the darkness slipped into my vision for the second time.

* * *

As I came to my senses, probably not much later, I could barely notice that there were more people in the room. They took my assailant away while Aikawa came to my side and helped me up.

As soon as I was upright, the world started spinning around me and my legs gave out. Fortunately, Aikawa was there to catch me before the painful collision with the floor and he led me to the bed. I felt somewhat bad for getting blood on the sheets but soon the buzzing noise blocked out that thought.

All the moving made me really dizzy and I had to close my eyes. When I reopened them, Aikawa was kneeling in front of me with a first aid kit.

_When did he get that?_

I heard him talking to me, probably trying to comfort me or explaining what happened, but not one word registered in my mind. I could only watch him blankly, not even feeling how much the disinfectant stung my wounds. The one thing that knocked me out of that shocked state was when he leaned closer and kissed my forehead gently. He was gentler than anyone had ever been with me before.

I looked up at him and saw how worried and desperate he was. That was when I realize that I was crying. He kept brushing away my tears but new ones appeared and I could tell that it was breaking his heart too. I tried to get rid of the tears and listen to his words but it was too difficult. He didn't stop talking as he bandaged my head and arms but I still couldn't comprehend what he said. But slowly my mind started to clear and his calm voice finally reached me as the shock wore off.

"I'm sorry. This shouldn't have happened."

I realized that he was repeating those words when I heard him speaking it twice again. I reached out shakily and touched his hand that was trying to brush off my tears, stopped him.

Our eyes finally met and I could see how much he was suffering because of what happened. Maybe even more than me. It was funny, but the only thing I could think of was that his eyes had never been this expressive before and finally I could see some emotion in them.

"Are you going to be okay?" he asked, now stroking my hair, careful not to disturb the bandages he already put on me.

I didn't trust my voice just yet, so the only answer he got was a nod and a shaky smile.

* * *

Waking up in Aikawa's bed, my first thought was that finally, the buzzing stopped.

When I tried to sit up, I felt strong arms push me back and saw Aikawa sitting at the edge of the bed. It was dark in the room safe for the lamp on the desk, and Aikawa was still wearing the earlier clothes, dirtied and bloody those were.

"You fainted," he said and touched my cheek.

I leaned into the touch but didn't say anything. It was peaceful and quiet for a while but then he broke the silence with the words I never expected to hear from him.

"Nanao, I love you."

My eyes snapped open and I sat up abruptly on the bed, not caring about the world spinning around me because the only thing that existed right now was Aikawa and his words.

"You… you love…me?"

I needed to make sure. _What if I'm hearing things now? What if this is just a dream?_

"I do," he said and looked me in the eye.

I could tell that he was telling me the truth but it was still hard to accept. I never, ever, imagined him saying that. I couldn't even dream of it because his voice almost sounded foreign in my head every time he said it.

But now…

Now that he said it, it was so real and felt so good that I couldn't help repeating the words in my head.

Before I knew it, I was kissing him.

_**I**__ kissed him._

It should be the other way around. I wasn't in the position to initiate things, but he didn't seem to mind as he kissed me back and held me close. Well, as close as he could with me being injured. Soon, too soon, he let go and leaned back.

"I want you, Nanao."

His words and the possessiveness in his eyes made me blush like crazy but I couldn't deny feeling the same so I let my hands wander around on his clothed chest.

"Do you feel alright to do this?" he asked and at first I didn't understand what he meant, not until he touched the bandages on my arms.

"I'm fine." I was far too horny just from hearing those three words to just stop because of these stupid injuries.

"My brother said you had a concussion but it would be okay when you woke up." He was worried but I could tell that it would be hard for him to stop too.

"I'm fine," I repeated and started unbuttoning his shirt.

He took my hands and placed them on the sheets. I was afraid of his rejection, but his eyes told another story.

"Touch yourself while I get undressed."

My eyes widened for three reasons. One, he never asked me to touch myself. Two, he never really undressed while having sex, and three, I was already naked in the bed.

As he pulled his shirt off, I found that it wasn't such a bad idea as I was already getting hard. I touched myself under the sheet but he pulled it off of me to better see me. For some reason, I felt shy at his hungry gaze, but that didn't stop me from pleasuring myself while watching him getting rid of his clothes.

His obvious erection helped a lot.

I wanted to touch him and feel his hands all over my body, but there was no way I was going to make that step. This moment was good enough already. Slowly, he crawled on top of me and we shared a passionate and hungry kiss. But for some reason, this kiss was even better than the previous ones.

The kisses; they kept coming, sometimes on my lips, sometimes on different parts of my body, but never low enough and I groaned.

"Prepare yourself," he said and my eyes opened suddenly.

_When did they close?_

He looked at me seriously and I noticed him stroking himself. Even though I've never done that myself, I found my fingers easing their way into my hole and I moaned as my other hand kept stroking my member.

It was strange, doing all this. Even stranger that Aikawa was watching me. However, it didn't take long for him to take matters into his hand and as soon as he was lubricated well enough, he thrust into me. I gasped in pleasure and in pain as he started pounding into me and soon, I found my arms around his back, pulling him closer, begging for more.

"I won't let anyone else ever see you like this," he said, but his possessiveness didn't scare me as much as that man did. "All you need is to be made love to like this by me and me alone, Nanao."

"You say that…even though… you're the one that I love?" I looked at him through half lidded eyes. "I'm all yours… Always will be…"

It didn't take long for me to get near the edge and he wasn't far behind. His eyes bore into me as he leaned in for another hungry kiss and the world just stopped moving around us.

Nothing else existed.

Just the two of us and the love I could feel in every movement, in every word.

"I love you," I whispered as I came and he held me close emptying himself in me while repeating the words I never imagined hearing from him.

"I love you so much, Nanao."

I fell asleep with a smile on my face, nuzzling into Aikawa's chest, content and euphorically happy for the first time in my life.

* * *

The bed wasn't empty when I woke up on the next day. My body ached a bit from all that had happened yesterday, but it was all worth it now that I was lying in Aikawa's arms. He was sleeping soundly, his arm wrapped around me and I couldn't help watching him and grinning like a love struck teenage girl.

It must have been at least half an hour before he opened his eyes, but I didn't mind just being there.

"Good morning, darling."

He blinked a few times before answering. "… good morning." My nickname on him was indeed surprising, judging from his expression. But he didn't seem to mind as he pulled me closer. "Are you okay?"

"Oh yes." I grinned and he seemed to relax.

After everything that had happened he must have been scared. Finding me half dead in his room must have been scary. But everything was fine now.

"He was arrested."

I knew who he was talking about and maybe I needed to hear that but it didn't stop me from shivering. He started stroking my back as he continued. "He killed his father. The police found his… body at the basement. And he tried to kill you. He's going away for life."

I was a little relieved to hear that but it probably didn't show on my face as I nodded.

"He's sick and will be in a mental institution."

"Why?" That was new. I didn't know anything about that.

"Multiple Personality Disorder. He had a tough childhood and he started to hurt himself when his father didn't do it for him. He was all happy and polite one day and rude the other. He had very few relationships and it always ended badly for no apparent reason.

"The doctor said he wanted to take revenge on his father for taking you away. But he tortured his father and his servants. He cut himself, broke his own arms and became depressed for no reason and so much more. Then he didn't remember what happened and became the nice person he once was. No one knew except those who lived with him but nobody dared say a word."

"I remember that." For some reason, I felt that I had to tell Aikawa what happened. "One day he came to my cell and tended to my wounds and talked to me. But the next day he hit me and he was cruel. I never knew what it would be like when he came and then I woke up in a shop. I've never known what happened; probably his father got rid of me. He told me he loved me and it was why I had to go."

"It wasn't his father," Aikawa corrected. "It was him." I blinked and he continued. "The servants told me what happened. One day he almost killed you. And his better personality knew of the cruel one and decided to get you away from him. He took you to the shop to save you from his other personality so I believe that he did have some feelings towards you.

"Unfortunately, his other part couldn't express love in any other way than torture. For some reason, he was convinced that his father was the one who took you away. But in time, that part dominated the already broken half, the nice young man he could have become without his father, and he became twisted.

"He didn't even realize that he killed his own father. The cruel part of him did, but the other was buried deep within him. I think his only anchor was you and without you he just gave up. But I'm glad he took you out of that house in time."

He finished and pulled me closer, kissing the top of my head.

I didn't know how to feel. I was grateful for him, but I knew that the one I was grateful for didn't really exist anymore. Even if he saved my life and gave me the opportunity to meet Aikawa, that man still scared me and I wanted to forget about him.

My next thought was that Aikawa never really spoke that much to me before. He's more like the quiet type and now he talked a lot. I smiled and kissed his cheek earning a little squeeze from him. We both wanted to forget about that man and so we moved on.

"How long can we stay in bed like this?" I asked, hoping for a good reply.

"For as long as you want to," he answered and I blushed.

"Aikawa, don't let me get carried away…" I looked away from him. "I'm sure I'll become a nuisance…"

"Feel free to become one…" He pulled me closer, if that was possible, and kissed me again. "Be more selfish with me…"

I lay back on his chest and wrapped my arms around him.

_Be selfish, huh?_

"I… I…" It was harder than it seemed. "I want to stay in bed today… and have sex…"

He smiled that brilliant smile of his, the one that took my breath away just when I looked up at him and brushed his lips against mine.

"…You spoke well."


End file.
